Obesity is harmful to a person’s health. Someone who is 40 percent overweight is twice more likely to die prematurely than an average-weight person. (This effect is seen after 10 to 20 years of being obese.) In this country alone, about 300,000 deaths per year can be blamed on obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for many serious, life-threatening diseases, including:

• Diabetes
• Cancer
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Heart disease
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Stroke

Studies show that the risk of death from these conditions return to normal after weight loss.

In addition, women who were struggling with infertility before surgery find that conception is possible after significant weight loss.