There has been a surge in surgeries to battle obesity. Last year more than 4000 surgeries were carried out by the NHS and this figure was nine times higher than what it was in 2004.

But a research body the Office of Health Economics states that the figure is even higher. If a quarter of eligible patients were treated then more than £1billion could be saved in three years.

If the government advisory body NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) is to be believed then surgeries like gastric bands and bypasses should be the last resort and when nothing else seems to work.

The benefits of not having these surgeries are not limited to just cost effectiveness. Experts state that everyone must make sure that they do not reach the stage of having a weight-loss surgery and must make attempts to maintain a healthy weight.

Risks that these surgeries carry are a tear in the stomach wall, blockage, leakage or erosion of the band, internal bleeding and clots, leaks from the intestine or bowel, a reaction to the anesthetic and bowel obstruction can happen due to such surgeries.