Al Roker Exposes the Risks of Weight-Loss Surgery

Seven Drawbacks of Bariatric Sugery

“Today Show” weatherman Al Roker lost 100 pounds after having gastric bypass surgery in 2002. But Roker admitted during a recent interview on "Dateline NBC" to promote his book— “Never Goin’ Back: Winning the Weight Loss Battle for Good”—that the surgery had some unpleasant side effects. During a visit to the White House in 2002, Roker confessed that he lost control of his bowels, causing him to have to run to the bathroom and throw out his soiled underwear. “I probably went off and ate something I wasn’t supposed to,” Roker explained. “And as I’m walking to the press room … I gotta pass a little gas here. I’m walking by myself. Who’s gonna know? Only a little something extra came out. …I pooped my pants. Not horribly, but enough that I knew.” Roker has raised awareness that bariatric surgery is not a quick fix but comes with risks, a move for which women’s website Jezebel.com has praised him. Below are seven side effects of the surgery:

Mortality rates after bariatric surgery are significant. Using statistics from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sandy Swarzc of the Junkfood Science blog found: “By best estimates, bariatric surgeries likely increase the actual mortality risks for these patients by sevenfold in the first year, and by 363 percent to 250 percent the first four years.”

Weight-loss surgery won’t necessarily cure obesity-related illnesses. Researchers at the Emergency Care Institute found that the improvement of obesity-related diseases after the surgery was weak, and that there was little evidence that the surgery remedied heart disease.

Weight-loss surgery often doesn’t cure obesity. That’s right. The Emergency Care Research Institute found that while patients do experience weight loss, they often continue to fall into the obese weight range.

Gastric bypass patients experience a number of digestive problems after surgery, including violent hiccups, stomach odor, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting and scarring of the esophagus.

Fertility problems have been linked to the surgery, including hormonal imbalances, inability to conceive and neural tube defects found in children born to gastric bypass patients.

Gastric bypass patients sometimes experience advanced aging and related conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and limited mobility.

Mental health problems have been linked to weight-loss surgery such as depression and suicidal thoughts.

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