Nicholson Clinic

Bariatric surgery has long been proven to help those who are severely overweight shed pounds and keep them off. These procedures, including gastric bypasses and the sleeve gastrectomy, aren’t for everyone though. With strict body mass index requirements and a highly invasive nature, standard weight loss surgery is generally reserved as a last-resort option in serious cases where obesity may or already has interfered with overall health. The reality of the requirements involved for bariatric surgery leaves a lot of people who are overweight and could benefit from help out in the cold. Enter a new procedure that is mostly non-invasive and meant to target people with lower BMIs. Called the gastric balloon procedure, this new option mimics the effects of bariatric surgery without the surgery. It also happens to be a temporary measure, which means no permanent alterations of the body take place. The balloon procedure works much like the sleeve gastrectomy . It is designed to limit the ...

It’s well known that bariatric surgery can help people shed a tremendous amount of weight and reshape their bodies in the process. Researchers are finding this type of medical procedure may also be a fountain of youth of sorts, as well. Recent studies have shed light on changes at the molecular level that occur following surgery that may actually reverse premature aging in cells. To arrive at those findings, researchers looked at “telomeres.” These are structures that are found at the ends of every chromosome in the body. Their purpose is to protect DNA. As cells divide, a portion of the telomere’s length is lost. Once enough length is lost, cells stop dividing, which is a mark of aging. A number of lifestyle habits can increase the rate at which telomeres are lost, including smoking, poor diet and obesity. The recent study found that people who undergo bariatric surgery have noticeable changes in their telomeres. After surgery, the speed at which telomeres shorten is markedly re...