- In Mexico, 74.1% of adults and 38.2% of children are overweight or obese.
- Bariatric surgery is indicated in NOM-008-SSA3-2010 for the comprehensive treatment of people with excess body mass.
- Not all people can access this alternative because they must first meet some requirements.
People who suffer from obesity, especially if it is morbid, can resort to bariatric surgery as an alternative treatment to lose weight in a sustainable and significant way.
The director of the Obesity Clinic of the “Manuel Gea González” General Hospital of the Ministry of Health, Martín Edgardo Rojano Rodríguez, explained that there are two types of procedures: sleeve gastrectomy and gastrointestinal bypass.
Vertical gastrectomy, also known as laparoscopic gastric sleeve, is used to decrease 80 percent of the gastric capacity and with this, reduce the amount of food that the person eats. Gastrointestinal bypass or gastric bypass helps reduce the amount of food and the body absorbs the necessary nutrients.
Requirements that must be met to access this alternative
Rojano Rodríguez pointed out that the bariatric surgery is indicated in the Mexican Official Standard NOM-008-SSA3-2010 for the Comprehensive Treatment of Overweight and Obesity for the person who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 35 and associated with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver and dyslipidemia.
He explained that before performing the procedure, the person undergoes an evaluation that lasts between three and six months, during which time psychological, physical and nutritional studies are applied.
He stressed the need to perform this surgical procedure with the best quality standards, in specialized centers and by a multidisciplinary group of health professionals, which includes specialists in Nutrition, Psychology, Surgery, among others, to reduce risks and obtain satisfactory results.
He detailed that in Obesity Clinic of the “Manuel Gea González” General Hospital, between 100 and 150 bariatric surgeries are performed annually. Not all people can undergo this surgical treatment and the doctor is the one who evaluates if it is possible to perform it.
Faced with the problem represented by the overweight and obesity in MexicoRojano Rodríguez made a call to adopt a healthy diet and perform any type of physical activity from childhood.
Overweight and obesity are characterized by abnormal and excessive accumulation of body fat. Both are accompanied by metabolic alterations that increase the risk of developing arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as some neoplasms in the breast, endometrium, colon and prostate, among others.
Obesity is considered a public health problem in Mexico, due to its magnitude and importance. The National Survey of Health and Nutrition (Ensanut) 2021 points out that, in Mexico, 74.1 percent of adults and 38.2 percent of girls and boys are overweight or obese.
While the study: The implications of COVID-19 on our diet and health, carried out by the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) reveals that Mexicans gained an average of 8.5 kilos per person during the pandemic.
In this context, it is essential to change habits, attitudes, behaviors and practices to adopt a healthy consumption, based on natural foods from the region.
Recommended type of food
The Milpa Diet It is a healthy model based on the culture and regional characteristics of the country, whose nutritional-cultural center is corn, beans, chili and pumpkin, plus other foods of Mesoamerican origin, along with those adopted by traditional cuisine.
This food model is made up of the group of vegetables rich in fiber, minerals, antioxidants and micronutrients; legumes with a high protein content such as beans, broad beans and oilseeds; the fruits; whole grains; complex carbohydrates like root vegetables; egg, fish and shellfish; water and nutritional drinks; honeys and natural sweeteners; poultry and, finally, red meat.
The Milpa Diet provides nutritional balance, since it is difficult to exceed protein due to the fiber content that stimulates satiety, and they provide soluble and insoluble fiber that inhibits the absorption of cholesterol and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
In addition, it favors the alkaline acid balance due to the fact that vegetable protein has a greater contribution of calcium and magnesium; therefore, more adequate values of renal acid potential and less fat.
Likewise, it helps to eliminate toxins, since it contains substances that favor less formation of toxins in metabolism and optimization in the elimination of these toxins.
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