10:30am Thursday 20th October 2011
A SURGEON is calling for more to be done to help people who are dangerously overweight.
Sussex weight-loss surgeon Guy Slater said the Government’s campaign to tackle obesity did not take into account those who were so seriously overweight they had reached the point of no return.
He said: “The basic idea of telling people to eat less and do more exercise is an obvious one but that is not going to help everyone.
“I am seeing people who have a serious problem and simply telling them not to eat is not the answer.
“They are the ones that need extra help and support and in some cases that may mean a gastric band operation.
“I would love to find a non-surgical treatment but sometimes it really is the only option and it can transform lives.
Mr Slater, who works at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and for private company Streamline Surgical, said there should also be a debate on introducing a tax on junk food.
He said: “It is not fair to increase the cost of a shopping basket at this time. But when tax was increased on a sugar based drink in the US, people drank it less.”
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