Slimming surgery could be more effective in saving the lives of the morbidly obese than other slimming methods, new research suggests.
A study in the Lancet suggests that bariatric surgery, such as stomach stapling and gastric banding, is more effective than non-surgical method in treating those with chronic weight problems.
It notes that in the last five years alone, surgery to treat obesity has increased more than five-fold in developed countries, as doctors battle against increasing waistlines.
The paper, by Michael Korenkov and Stefan Sauerland, of the Department of Abdominal Surgery at the University of Mainz in Germany, states that surgery is appropriate for adult patients with a body-mass index (BMI) of 40kg/m2 - the standard measure for morbid obesity.
Surgery to treat obesity can take a number of forms including gastric bypasses, adjustable gastric bands and stomach stapling.
The authors of the Lancet paper note that recent studies showed that surgery reduced long-term mortality in the morbidly obese compared with conservative methods.
In two papers on the issue, the decrease in mortality rates when using surgery were found to be 29% and 40%.
The new study also suggested that surgery may aid the psychological benefits of weight loss.
The authors of the report conclude: "There is good evidence to show that bariatric surgery is more effective than non-surgical approaches in the therapy of morbid obesity.
"However, no single operation is ideal for every morbidly obese patient, and all operations also entail some disadvantages."
