Focusing on You: UHealth’s Bariatric Program Offers Better Outcomes and a Brighter Future

Weight Loss Surgery Reduces Risk of Chronic Illnesses

Nestor De La Cruz-Munoz, M.D., Director of Bariatric Surgery at the University of Miami Health System, discusses how UHealth’s award-winning bariatric program helps adults and adolescents battling obesity lose weight and improve their overall health.

Award-Winning Bariatric Program

Obesity rates rose during the pandemic putting Americans’ health at risk, says Dr. De La Cruz-Munoz.

“About two-thirds of adults are obese, and about ten percent are severely obese or morbidly obese. As people gain weight, their life expectancy goes down, and their risk of getting disease goes way up,” says Dr. De La Cruz-Munoz.

He says weight-loss surgery such as a gastric sleeve or gastric bypass is proving to help patients who can’t lose weight with diet and exercise alone.

“It changes some of that physiology, changes the hormone levels and the metabolism that makes the body want to weigh less,” Dr. De La Cruz-Munoz says.

Not only do bariatric patients lose weight after surgery, but they also greatly reduce their risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, sleep apnea, and diabetes.

“The deaths due to diabetes go down 92%. The deaths due to heart attacks and strokes have gone down by about 60%. And the deaths due to cancer also go down about 60%,” Dr. De La Cruz-Munoz explains.

Most recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recognized the long-term benefits of bariatric surgery in children battling obesity.

“They said that the watchful waiting that they’ve been doing to see if the kids would get better over time just wasn’t working,” says Dr. De La Cruz-Munoz.

UHealth’s award-winning bariatric program offers patients better outcomes and a brighter future.

“Take advantage of the motivation. Take advantage of the new year, learn about it, and find out if it’s for you,” Dr. De La Cruz-Munoz says.

Video transcript compiled by Janna Ross for ‘Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine,’ a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10.  For more stories like this one, visit UHealth’s YouTube channel.

Tags: bariatric surgeon, bariatric surgery, Dr. Nestor de la Cruz-Muñoz, focusing on you, gastric band, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, obesity, weight loss surgery