Our national challenge is to beat the bulge and stop being armchair Norms so we can live better and live longer.

Sadly, 17,000 Australians die prematurely every year because
they're too heavy or suffer related problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and metabolic syndrome.

Obesity also increases the risk of breast, prostate and bowel cancer. For half of all women and 67 per cent of men, dieting and exercise are too hard to stick to long term.

So for those who have tried everything to whittle down their waist, there's some new thinking. A procedure with significantly less risky side effects than bariatric or weight-loss surgery, while achieving a similar outcome, is starting to make waves.

Encouraging trials

VBloc therapy, using an electrical device similar to a pacemaker, is already helping excessively obese people shed large amounts of weight quickly. Now in the final phase of clinical trials, VBloc, if it's a success, may be available in the mainstream within the next year or two. In the procedure, a thin telescope called a laparoscope is inserted into the abdomen.

It implants electrodes into the Vagus nerve, which snakes from
the head to the stomach. When this nerve is stimulated, it blocks hunger signals from the brain down to the digestive system. The electrodes are powered by a small power pack worn around the waist.

'This new therapy holds great promise for the morbidly obese
and so far the technique has been free of serious side effects,' says Professor Jim Toouli from the Adelaide Bariatric Centre. He heads an Australian unit studying the technique.

Adelaide mother of three Korena Martin, 38, jumped from a size 14, before she had her first child, to a size 24 with the birth of her third, seven years later.

'I couldn't lose the weight after having my babies. I put on 20kg with the last child and went up to 122kg,' she says. Korena wanted lap banding to reduce hypertension. The most widely used obesity surgical technique until now, it's effective for people at least 30kg overweight.

It reduces stomach size with a 'band' restricting how much food
it can hold. But the downside is the risk of infection or breakage
and displacement of the band. The procedure can very rarely prove fatal.

So Korena decided to try Professor Toouli's VBloc trial instead. And she's ecstatic about having shed a whopping 42kg in six months.

'I'm now 80kg, sleeping better, my blood pressure has improved and I'm wearing size 14 clothes again. I'd recommend it to anyone considering surgery,' she says.

'Wearing the small device on my waist during the day is a tiny price to pay for better health. I look at it like I have an addiction - food.'

Associate Professor Katherine Samaras, director of the Australian Centre for Metabolic Health, says: 'Studies show most diabetic patients stop taking all their diabetes medication and have normal blood sugar levels within 12 months of gastric band surgery.'

But Professor Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute, is more cautious: ‘Any surgery should be carefully considered because of complication risk. Lap-band surgery can be suitable in extreme cases, but it's a bandaid response.'

VBloc may be less risky but remember, diet and exercise still remain the healthiest ways to lose weight. No surgery will help if you live on a diet of doughnuts.

Are you 20 to 30kg over your ideal weight? If you want to be
in a free VBloc trial in Sydney or Adelaide, call 1300 798 987.

For more health advice from Dr John, check out the latest issue of New Idea - on sale now!