Bariatric & Metabolic Medicine

Bariatric and Metabolic Medicine is the branch of medicine focused on obesity and the metabolic conditions that often accompany it, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease. It covers both non-surgical approaches, including medical weight management and structured nutrition and exercise programs, and surgical procedures such as gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy for patients who meet the criteria for bariatric surgery.

Because obesity and metabolic disease are closely linked, treatment is usually approached as a combined effort, addressing weight, blood sugar, and related risk factors together rather than in isolation. Candidates are evaluated individually, since not everyone with excess weight needs or qualifies for surgery, and many patients are managed successfully with lifestyle-based care alone.

Candidacy for bariatric surgery is typically determined by body mass index, along with the presence of weight-related health conditions, and is assessed through a structured evaluation involving several specialists, including a surgeon, a dietitian, and sometimes a psychologist. Long-term success depends heavily on the lifestyle changes that accompany any surgical or medical treatment, not on the intervention alone.