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T YPE 2 DIABETES and its main r i s k f a c t or, o b e s it y, h a v e reached epidemic proportions in the United States. A stag- gering 68 percent of adults over the age of 20 are overweight (with a Body Mass Index, or BMI, of 25–29.9), and more than 35 percent are obese (BMI of 30 or higher), according to an ongo- i ng CD C-supp or te d st udy. O t her serious health problems are linked to obesity, as well, including heart dis- e a s e , h i g h blo o d pre s s u re , h i g h cholesterol and sleep apnea. " Wei g ht-lo s s s u r g er y c a n he lp improve, a nd even resolve, t hese conditions," says Aviv Ben-Meir, MD, D i re c t or, L a k e He a lt h B a r i a t r ic Surgery Center. "It's more effective for p a t i e n t s w i t h o b e s i t y t h a n t h e typical regimen of diet, exercise and pharmacologic therapies." Board-certified in general surgery and fellowship-trained in advanced lapa roscopy a nd ba riatric surger y, Dr. Ben-Meir has performed more than 4,000 weight-loss surgeries in the past 12 years. The former medical director of the Center for Bariatric Surgery at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Dr. Ben- Meir founded Lake Health's Bariatric Surgery Center, which opened in 2013. Facts and Figures "Studies have shown that patients who undergo bariatric surgery are more likely to have a complete remission of diabetes or need less medicine to control it," says Dr. Ben-Meir. Recent research backs up his state- ment. One study, published last June in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 49 percent of patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery had normal HgbA1C without medications one year after surger y, compa red w it h just 19 percent of patients who are put on an intensive medica l ma nagement a nd lifest yle intervention program. A retrospective study that he presented at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Su r g er y me e t i n g l a s t No v em b er reported that 68 percent of patients w it h Ty pe II diabetes were of f a ll medications and had normal blood sugars at an average of 10 weeks after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Even so, Dr. Ben-Meir cautions that surger y is a weight-loss tool, not a solution on its own. "Patients need to be fully committed to the process and undergo a lifestyle change after surgery to stay healthy and have long-term success," he says. "Our program's holistic approach to w ei g ht lo s s pro v id e s e v er y t h i n g patients need to achieve and maintain their weight-loss goals." The Recipe for Success Through La ke Hea lth 's Bariatric Surgery Center, patients receive a vast array of services, including physical and psychological pre-operative evalu- a t i o n , p r e - a n d p o s t- o p e r a t i v e educat ion, ongoing counseling in nutrition and exercise, free patient COV ER FE AT UR E PHOTO © SMITHBERGER PHOTOGRAPHY, NORTH CANTON Bariatric surgeon Aviv Ben-Meir, MD, is shown here (front row, second from the left) with several members of his Lake Health Bariatric Surgery Center team. In the front row (L-R) are Heather Adams, RNFA; Dr. Ben-Meir; John A. Talerico, CSA; and Kim Cole, RN. In the back row (L-R) are Beth Cadiou, RN; Jen Lauderback, CST; Courtney Clarke, CST; and Mark Farmer, MD. Aviv Ben-Meir, MD, FACS: Changing/Saving Lives with Bariatric Surgery 8 | Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M ■ M AY/J U N E 2 0 1 4