Lap band surgery 'makes patients feel younger'

Lap band surgery, a form of minimally-invasive obesity surgery in which a band is fitted around the stomach, often makes patients feel years younger, a surgeon has claimed.

According to Dr Walter Medlin, a weight loss surgeon at the Duluth Clinic in Minnesota, US, the procedure can give morbidly obese patients a much-needed energy boost.

"Thousands of lives are being saved every year with weight loss surgery," he revealed.

"Many of my patients say they feel ten to 15 years younger, and they have more energy."

Dr Medlin suggests that patients typically lose between one and two pounds a week after having a gastric band fitted, and the procedure often allows them to reduce the amount of medication needed for type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure after a while.

The surgeon is so confident in the technique that he plans to broadcast an operation live on the internet so that members of the public can see what is involved.