The following is a comment on surgical treatments for child and adolescent overweight:

"Humans don't have a fundamental defect in their genes or a problem with their gastrointestinal tract that invariably causes obesity in the absence of these terribly invasive procedures. The answer, in almost every case, is simple- not necessarily easy today- but simple, straightforward changes in lifestyle that can prevent excessive weight gain or begin to lead to a healthy body weight over time. For society to have to resort to these procedures as an alternative to teaching our kids how to lead a healthful lifestyle would be a terribly sad comment about America today."