UK needs to perform thousands more obesity operations, say surgeons

NHS should offer more stomach-shrinking procedures to help people lose weight and prevent associated diseases, doctors argue

Thousands more stomach-shrinking operations need to be carried out in the UK, say surgeons, who warn the country is lagging behind the rest of Europe despite the toll being taken on people's health and warnings that the obesity crisis could bankrupt the NHS.

Reducing stomach size prevents people eating more than small amounts at a time, leading to dramatic weight loss. It can also reverse type 2 diabetes, which carries the risk of amputations, blindness, heart attacks and strokes.