Keith-Thomas Ayoob, an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NYC, has weighed in on bariatric surgery in children.
His commentary comes in the wake of the 12-year-old Texas girl who had liposuction and then Lap-Band surgery in Mexico. The 12-year-old girl, often referred to as the “Lap Band girl,” has become a quasi-celebrity due to the extensive news media coverage surrounding her surgery. It’s nice to finally have a qualified scientific opinion on the subject.
You can read Mr. Ayoob’s commentary on the ABC News website. Here’s an excerpt:
Brooke’s body is now losing weight the same way everyone’s body loses weight, by taking in fewer calories than her body needs. She could have done that before she went under the knife three times. Brooke supposedly tried dieting in the past, but nothing worked. But she was only 12 years old. How many sustained efforts could there have been? How many changes were made in the home environment to help her?