In recent years, the prevalence of obesity has been rapidly increasing and is on its way to becoming the most common disease in history. Many methods, such as dieting, increasing physical activity, or medication, are used to treat obesity, but the success rate with these methods is very low. Today, surgery is the most effective method in the treatment of obesity. There are multiple options in obesity surgery, generally categorized into restrictive and malabsorptive procedures. Malabsorptive surgeries often include a restrictive component as well.

The aim of restrictive surgeries is to reduce the amount of food intake and suppress the function of hunger hormones. The stomach is reduced in size by cutting it along a tube inserted orally, with particular care taken to remove the fundus, the part of the stomach that secretes the hunger hormone ghrelin.

In malabsorptive surgeries, the stomach is also reduced to varying degrees, and new pathways are created between the stomach and intestines. The goal is to prevent food from coming into contact with the first 150-200 cm of the intestines after the stomach, thus creating a controlled malabsorption. Additionally, when food is prevented from contacting this region, various hormonal changes occur, leading to improvements in diabetes.

It should not be forgotten that obesity is a serious health problem, a disease, and obesity surgery should not be performed for cosmetic purposes but only for specific medical indications. The success rate increases when the surgeon performing the procedure is experienced, the hospital is well-equipped, and the post-bariatric follow-up process is managed by specialists in the field.