Is liposuction effective for obesity management? Doctor explains

BAGUIO CITY— A top official of the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (PASOO) on Thursday took a look at whether liposuction, a popular fat removal procedure, is effective in addressing obesity. 

In a media conference, PASOO president Dr. Nemecio Nicodemus Jr. explained there are two kinds of fat—subcutaneous fat which is the fat found under the skin; and visceral fat which is hidden in the mid portion of the body or in the belly. 

Among the two, he said that the visceral adiposity is the one that can determine whether one has obesity or not. The doctor also stressed that visceral fat “becomes very abnormal and very dangerous” when obesity is developed. 

“Ang kinukuha po ng liposuction, itong subcutaneous fat lang. Diyan lang ‘yan, hindi niya napapaliit ‘yung visceral fat sa loob. Kung kaya, ang liposuction is not something that we recommend for obesity management because it's more aesthetic,” Nicodemus said. 

(Liposuction only removes this subcutaneous fat. It doesn’t lessen the visceral fat inside the body. Therefore, liposuction is not something that we recommend for obesity management because it's more for aesthetic.) 

“Mapapaliit nang konti [ang tiyan], sige sabihin ninyo…pero ‘yung taba sa loob, nandoon pa rin ‘yun, hindi nabawasan. So the more important fat is the visceral fat,” he added. 

(You could say that your stomach got smaller, but the visceral fat inside it is still there and was not reduced.) 

Now, what is a better way to address overweight or obesity? 

World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines technical specialist April Joy David underscored the importance of physical activity in one’s health and wellbeing, which can be done through any bodily movement like doing sports, walking, active recreation, among others. 

This is in comparison with being physically inactive or having sedentary behavior—a waking behavior while in a sitting, reclining, or lying posture with low energy expenditure. 

“Limit or reduce sedentary behavior or sedentary time and replace it with some physical activities. Any is better than none, so kung mas kaya mong mag-move, mas ine-encourage na mag-move more ka [if you can move more, we encourage you to do so],” David said. 

For children and adolescents, she said that WHO recommends 60 minutes of physical activity per day, while adults and older adults should allocate 150 to 300 minutes per week. 

“Everyone who can move more—more is better. More than 300 minutes per week is still healthy,” she added. 

According to David, physical activity can prevent and help manage coronary heart disease, hypertension, and type-2 diabetes, and it can help reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers like breast and colon cancer. 

Being physically active, she added, can also lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as enhance brain health, including cognitive function and academic performance.—AOL, GMA Integrated News