Posts filed under 'gastric bypass'
Remember the good old days when livers were done in by drinking too much? Cirrhosis of the liver can eventually lead to liver failure or liver cancer, kind of a no win situation unless you have a spare hidden in the closet.
Now studies show that obesity can lead to a situation called non alcoholic fatty liver disease, which left unchecked (you don’t lose weight), can lead to cirrhosis, failure and cancer and eventually to that hunt for a spare liver. This is becoming alarmingly frequent in young people who, unfortunately, are rarely tested for liver functions.
I will continue to beat this obesity issue to death just on the off chance that someone, even if they aren’t in the market for life insurance, will read and learn that the number of ways that those extra pounds can kill you is simply staggering. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, several kinds of cancer and yes, liver disease.
Just a few plugs for common sense. If you are obese and don’t have any of these things going on yet, buy life insurance now. If you are obese and can’t lose weight through traditional methods, seriously consider gastric bypass. Forget those people who say that’s just taking the easy way out of your problem. This is about your life and saving it. Just consider it. Talk to your doctor.
Bottom line. The weight of obesity is crushing our nation and especially the young people. Overweight teens have no concept of the problems they will be facing in their 30’s and 40’s if they don’t do something now.
September 9th, 2008
In previous posts I have touched on studies that have shown that the dramatic weight loss provided by gastric bypass surgery has proven to have much more value than just a matter of convenience in losing weight.
With the primary risk factor for type 2 diabetes being obesity, and two of the primary causes of heart disease being obesity and diabetes, there is a point where getting rid of the weight is a matter of life and death, and gastric bypass isn’t just a matter of convenience any more than stepping off the tracks when a train is coming is a convenient way to keep your clothes from getting messed up.
I spoke with a client within the past week who had achieved a 130 pound weight loss after gastric bypass. He was being treated for diabetes before the operation and weighed over 300 pounds. Within a few weeks of the surgery his glucose levels were lowered to the point where he was taken off medication. Even off medication his glucose levels never went back up. Now, three years later, at 187 pounds, he is cured of diabetes and has a new lease on life.
Life insurance underwriters are cautious when it comes to gastric bypass because there are some dangers and also, if a person doesn’t have the will to make the lifestyle changes, even gastric bypass can be overcome by slowly stretching the new smaller stomach back out. For this reason underwriters want to see a track record of stability in weight before they will call it a home run. Having said that, those underwriters are keenly aware of and ready to reward the new lifestyle and the risk factors that have gone away because of it.
Bottom line. Eliminating risk factors through life style changes is the right thing to do even outside the scope of life insurance. Quality life and a longer life are a blessing to share with your family.
August 16th, 2008
There is a real tendency in our society to brand the morbidly obese as taking the easy way out of the problem they’ve created by considering gastric bypass surgery.
Gastric bypass reduces the size of the stomach by stapling off the majority. This causes massive weight loss due to the inability to take in enough food to amount to significant calories and simply curbing appetite. Saying that gastric bypass is the easy way out is a bit like saying heart bypass surgery is the easy way out of having a heart attack.
The truth is that chronic morbid obesity can lead to diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Studies have shown that diabetes can actually be cured by the forced weight loss that comes with gastric bypass. And as much as those of us who have never been obese would like to think it’s no big deal to drop 100+ pounds, get a grip. It is a big deal and it is not easy. Dropping large amounts of weight and keeping it off is a mental and physical battle. Just like being a life insurance agent, if it was easy everyone would be doing it.
From a life insurance perspective gastric bypass is a good thing….after some time. The rule of thumb with the best of companies will be a year to two years after weight loss stabilizes. It can take one to two years to reach that point, so post gastric bypass it can take three to four years before companies will consider you at rates commensurate with your actual weight. Why the caution? There can be post surgical complications such as infection or intestinal leakage. Weight loss can be reversed in some cases where the new, smaller stomach stretches. Underwriters want to know that everything has worked out and generally, given those timetables, they can be pretty confident that the issue is gone.
Bottom line. Any stigma that gastric bypass has should be stuffed away. It is a life saving procedure, not an easy way out.
June 23rd, 2008
The idea of gastric bypass surgery has often come in our forum when talking about the impact that obesity has on health and life insurance rates. The truth is that morbid obesity is so very hard on just about every part of a person’s health, that it just can’t be ignored and my personal opinion is that if it can’t be brought under control through diet and exercise, more drastic measures should be taken. You simply can’t afford to remain morbidly obese for too long.
I ran across a success story that I wanted to share. This, in words and pictures, tells of one person’s struggle with weight and their victory with gastric bypass.
From a life insurance standpoint, the most prudent choice would be to put life insurance in force even accepting the extra premium that goes with the weight. Lower rates are on the horizon, but generally companies will want to see at least one to two years of stable weight after the loss that occurs post bypass.
Bottom line. The human body is a magnificent, resilient thing, but it will eventually break down in the face of abuse. Whether that is smoking, drinking or eating yourself into poor health, the time will come.
April 26th, 2008
I watched a program on 60 minutes last night that reviewed the impact of gastric bypass surgery not just on obesity, but on all of the other risk factors that a person takes on when they are overweight. The results weren’t surprising, but rather affirming based on my experience of working with people who have battle obesity and won.
The stories of the eight people they interviewed were all dramatic in their own right. One lost 160 pounds, another 96 pounds, another 130 pounds and one lost 260 pounds. Incredible weight loss. All 8 of them had type 2 diabetes prior to the gastric bypass. All 8 of them are now off of medication and no longer have diabetes. Some of them had sleep apnea and now none of them do.
One of the 8 was a doctor who had always recommended gastric bypass as a measure of last resort. He now says that he believes the benefits far outweigh the risks in the morbidly obese and believes that more people should consider the surgery rather than face a life of increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Life insurance companies are often characterized as beating up on the overweight by offering them higher rates than those who, according to their build charts, are less of a risk. I know the feeling of being offered a higher rate than I think I deserve, but the reality is that when it comes to obesity there are so many potential collateral health issues, that companies aren’t over reacting. The best that someone who is overweight can hope for is to lock in as good a rate as they can before they have any other health issues. After getting coverage they should go about reducing the risk through weight loss whether by diet, exercise, gastric bypass or stomach banding and then reapply for a better rate. The truth is that the life insurance rate shouldn’t be the impetus to take the necessary steps. Prolonging your life should be reason enough.
Another statistic that came from the show, a rather amazing thing when you look at the long term success of diet and exercise, is that between 80 and 90% of those who have gastric bypass don’t regain the weight. And, with the procedure now done almost always laproscopically, it is much safer than in the past.
Bottom line. It should be for your own life and health, but if the reason is for better life insurance, the end result is the same. Lose the weight and your chances of serious disease go down, way down. Lose the weight and you live longer and have more fun, way more fun. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.
April 21st, 2008
OK! Most of us only feel like the fattest person in the world occasionally. And we whine when diet and exercise aren’t producing the results we really want, but are we trying hard enough?
There is no arguing that obesity is a problem, but this guy takes the cake and ate it too. Manuel Uribe from Mexico was recently noted as the officially largest man in the world, topping the scales at a whopping 1257 pounds 2 years ago. Even though bed ridden for the past five years, he has been steadily losing weight over the past two years under a doctor monitored diet and exercise program.
Without radical procedures like gastric bypass he has managed to shed 570 pounds and has set a goal of getting down to 265, one fifth of his peak weight. That kind of puts things in perspective when you are a mere 100 pounds overweight.
Admittedly this was no regular diet and exercise program. He had doctors from three countries working with him and I suspect funding from somewhere. Obviously he isn’t out making a living and I kind of doubt anyone is going to make a movie about him.
How would a life insurance underwriter look at this? Remember that large weight loss underwriting is a gradual process. There is always an assumption that rapid weight loss is temporary until proven otherwise. In Mr Uribe’s case, he still has about 400 pounds to go before he would be insurable based on normal guidelines. Most underwriters would want to see a couple of years of stability in a normal case. I suspect longer in his case just because of how dramatic the change is.
Bottom line. Just wanted to pass along a diet and exercise success story. The good news is that great rates are available for just the average overweight person.
February 13th, 2008
It’s no secret that obesity is one of the leading risk factors for the onset of type 2 diabetes. Left alone, the combination of the two can be the start of a downward health slide that leads to heart disease and other major health issues.
I’ve talked to many clients over the years who have lost weight and have actually been able to quit taking medication for diabetes. Now a study shows that weight loss surgery, either gastric bypass or lap band surgery, can in fact cure diabetes. With gastric bypass surgery the return to normal glucose levels has been dramatic within just a few weeks.
From a life insurance underwriting standpoint you can be sure that, just like the gastric bypass itself, underwriters will want to see a track record before they offer up any “cured” rates. Right now underwriters, depending on the company, want to see 1-2 years of stable weight post bypass before they will truly jump on board with rates that reflect the new you. I suspect they will be show the same caution with “cured” diabetes.
Bottom line. This is great health news for those who have diabetes and aren’t able to get their weight under control in any other way. Killing two birds with one stone so to speak.
January 23rd, 2008
Bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass, has usually been reserved for people who would qualify based on body mass index as morbidly obese. A body mass index of 40 or more qualifies as morbidly obese.
Newer thinking is leaning toward broadening the criteria. While a BMI of 40 or more is certainly one criteria that should be looked at seriously, many doctor believe that overweight people with health issues such as heart disease should be given consideration even if they don’t meet the BMI criteria.
A recent study indicated
that a higher BMI doesn’t necessarily mean a higher chance of heart disease than say, someone with a BMI of 30 might have. The conclusion was that bariatric surgery may be worth considering at lower BMI’s. Current guidelines suggest surgery with a BMI of 40 or more, 35 or more if there is life threatening disease already in place.
Bottom line. Obesity can be the tip of the iceberg with a host of health issues hiding beneath. Health evaluations should be taken even more seriously if you are overweight. Letting things get out of control can often be an irreversible cycle. Life insurance underwriting, while fair, does treat obesity with a deserved seriousness. Whether through bariatric surgery or diet and exercise, weight loss is seen by underwriters as taking control of your lifestyle and stopping a potential health down turn.
December 21st, 2007
There are times when diet and exercise just never seem to accomplish what’s needed. There are times when morbid obesity becomes life threatening and a radical approach to control the situation is needed.
Bariatric surgery, mostly commonly gastric bypass or lap band surgery, is that radical last choice. When things have gotten so out of control that the obesity is causing other health issues, radical becomes necessary. The good news is that bariatric surgery appears to have a direct positive impact on mortality experience.
I think most would agree that gaining control of weight through diet and exercise is preferable, but when dealing with extreme obesity, the ability to exercise is substantially crippled by the weight and dieting is often a slow arduous undertaking that fails when frustration sets in. With bariatric surgery the diet scenario is removed and the weight loss is dramatic enough that getting down to a weight where exercise is more plausible, happens very quickly.
At that point, keeping control of the vastly improved situation with a regular exercise program becomes far more likely.
Bottom line. Bariatric surgery is never recommended unless obesity is simply out of control. If the surgery can help avoid or control diabetes or heart disease, it can ensure the return of a quality of life that had been lost. When health improves and weight is controlled, life insurance becomes far more affordable. Do keep in mind that for most companies a 1-2 year period of weight stability after surgery is needed before they will accept the weight loss as permanent and give full underwriting favor to the new you.
December 18th, 2007
Obesity is at epidemic levels in the US. In the past 20 years the trend toward obesity has been dramatic to the point where there are now only 4 states, Hawaii, Colorado, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where less than 20% of the population has a body mass index of less than 30.
Two states, Mississippi and West Virginia, are the only states that top 30% of the population being at obese levels.
Obesity is the most talked about topic in my blogs simply because it is topped only by smoking as a situation that has so many potential collateral health issues. You can talk dieting, medication, hypnosis, exercise, and in the end. like Will from ABC’s Fat March put it, “you’re addicted, and until you can break that addiction, none of those things work”.
Certainly a last resort type of choice is gastric bypass surgery. With gastric bypass most of the stomach is stapled off from a very small stomach. The small intestine is then attached to the new small stomach and a person simply cannot eat the way they used to as it takes very little food to be full.
There are some risks to the surgery, but compared with the benefits, if this is the only way a person can effectively get rid of the excess weight, the risks are acceptable to many. I have had clients who have lost anywhere from 100-200 pounds after surgery.
From a life insurance underwriting standpoint, what they want to see post surgery is 1-2 years of stable weight after the weight loss. Generally weight loss will go on for a year or more, so we are talking about 2-4 years after the surgery before most insurance companies will jump on board and reward you with low rates.
Should you wait until after surgery to buy life insurance? My professional recommendation is that, in spite of the fact that the cost may not be as palatable as the food that got you into this situation, you should put as much term insurance in force as you need, or at least as much as you can afford, well before committing to gastric bypass surgery. I simply can’t see any good reason to put off buying insurance you need for 2-4 years if you can afford it.
Bottom line. Life insurance underwriters do reward successful weight loss due by gastric bypass, but it won’t happen soon. Even the most aggressive companies will require a year of stable weight and most will require two years.
October 18th, 2007
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