1. That branch of medicine concerned with the management (prevention or control) of obesity and allied diseases.
2. The field of medicine that offers treatment for the person who is overweight with a comprehensive program including diet and nutrition, exercise, behavior modification, lifestyle changes and, when indicated, the prescription of appetite suppressants and other appropriate medications.

Bariatrics also includes research into overweight, its causes, prevention, and treatment.

A physician practicing bariatrics, the field of medicine concerned with weight loss.

Surgery on the stomach and/or intestines to help a person with extreme obesity lose weight.

There are two main types of bariatric surgery; adjustable gastric banding and gastric bypass.

In adjustable gastric banding, insertion of a band restricts the size of the opening from the esophagus to the stomach.

• The size of the opening to the stomach determines the amount of food that can be eaten.
• The size of the opening can be controlled by the surgeon by inflating or deflating the band through a port that is implanted beneath the skin on the abdomen.
• The band can be removed at any time.

In contrast to gastric banding, gastric bypass (sometimes referred to as roux-en-Y gastric bypass) is a permanent reduction in the size of the stomach.

• The proximal portion of the stomach is used to create an egg-sized pouch that is connected to the intestine in a location that bypasses about two feet of normal intestine.
• The amount of food that can be eaten is limited by the size of the pouch and the size of the opening between the pouch and the intestine.