Weight-Loss Surgery Ads Vanish From L.A. Freeways After Government Warnings

Weight-loss surgeries have become more common but the Food and Drug Administration warns they can be risky

Controversial billboard ads for stomach-shrinking surgeries have vanished from the freeways around Los Angeles amid concerns about dead patients and scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration.

A "lap-band" surgery marketing company called 1-800-GET-THIN didn't renew its contracts with billboard owners like Clear Channel and Lamar Advertising, reports the Los Angeles Times. The billboard companies confirmed to the newspaper that the ads wouldn't be returning but 1-800-GET-THIN didn't respond to requests for comment from the Times.

Lap-band surgery, also known as laparoscopic adjustable gastric-banding surgery, helps patients lose weight by making their stomachs smaller so they feel full sooner. Surgeons wrap a ring around part of the stomach so it can't hold as much food. The procedure is FDA-approved for adults diagnosed with obesity who have heart disease or other health problems caused by their weight.

After five patients died following weight-loss surgeries performed by doctors connected to 1-800-GET-THIN, the FDA, California authorities, and lap-band manufacturer Allergan raised alarms about the ad campaign. The billboards didn't warn about the risks of the surgery and appeared to be aimed at people looking to lose weight for cosmetic reasons, not people who are obese, according to the FDA.

Obesity is at epidemic proportions in the U.S. and lap-band surgery is one of only a few medical or surgical options available to people who need to lose large amounts of weight for their health.

But it's not without risks. Lap-band surgery side effects include the band slipping loose or leaking which leads to more surgery, the stomach or the esophagus stretching out, and patients having trouble digesting, according to the FDA.

Several 1-800-GET-THIN ads were still up on billboards owned by CBS Outdoor and a company called LapbandVIP.com also has billboards displayed near Los Angeles-area freeways, noted the Times.

Comments

[John Di Saia]

11:13 PM on 08/05/2012

That reminds me of the bit I shot for Good Morning America after the last 1-800-Get-Thin associated gastric bypass death. They never used it...oh well.

[Erica Jean]

08:06 PM on 05/13/2012

This breaks my heart. To think that these so called "doctors" preyed on the vulnerable, promising a quick fix to lose weight and instead they lost their lives. This is UNACCEPTABLE!!! They were pulling in over $21million per month!!! How dire is our need to lose weight that we would play with our lives ... again, my heart breaks.

[blueman00009]

12:31 PM on 03/16/2012

Wow, I saw those billboards all the time. I didn't realize they were for surgery. I thought it was some kind of fad waste band thing. Yikes!

[Eggface]

01:23 AM on 03/16/2012

As someone who has had weight loss surgery I disliked the billboards and jingle ad campaign because it perpetuated the misinformed idea that weight loss surgery is a quick and easy solution. There is nothing quick or easy about it. I had gastric bypass surgery in 2006. My before & current picture: http://www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com the 158 pound weight loss I achieved resolved all my health issues Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea, High Blood Pressure, and a host of other issues, I am off all 8 medications I was on prior to surgery, I have not been to the doctor for anything more than routine check-ups in 5 years. Best decision I ever made but having surgery was just one battle in a lifetime war versus obesity, every day I wake up and fight with healthy eating choices, moving my body and the most important in my opinion: working on the head, addressing the reasons I gained weight. I encourage readers thinking about weight loss surgery to research, talk to your doctor, attend a bariatric seminar, hit up post-ops about their experience. It's not the right choice for everyone but it was for me and thousands and thousands of others. Best wishes to everyone in their efforts to get healthy no matter how they do it.

[kimhoulian]

01:03 AM on 03/16/2012

good food choices, exercise, education on nutrition, and education on medications that may cause weight gain is by far the safest way to lose weight. Too many people are looking for quick fixes to a problem that can be solved by educating oneself immensely on the causes of weight gain, over-eating, and food benefits and preparation.

[Spank05]

02:53 PM on 03/15/2012

I heard one of their radio ads within the last week.... hopefully those disappear as well...

[DSevere]

02:02 PM on 03/15/2012

Good! I found those ads really irritating.
1. Lap band surgery is REAL SURGERY with real risks, so it's irresponsible to present it as some quick and easy thing to do.
2. People who eliminate an addiction to food without examining why they got addicted in the first place are likely to just find a different addiction to replace it with. For instance, a significant number of post gastric bypass patients have become alcoholics.
3. People who lose a significant amount of weight without exercising lose muscle mass as well as fat. Less muscle mass = lower metabolism. So when they gain the weight back -- which they frequently do -- they're fat again with a worse metabolism. There was a woman on one of the Biggest Loser seasons who had had gastric bypass and gained the weight back, and the doctors there told her she was in the worst shape medically of all the contestants.
4. People who lose a significant amount of weight without exercising with weights get big flaps of skin and require a whole bunch of plastic surgery.

[demisfine]

12:46 PM on 03/15/2012

There used to be a billboard in SF for a gym that showed an alien and a fat person and it said "They'll eat the fat ones first".
It was funny, but it got pulled for being discriminatory.

[DSevere]

02:38 PM on 03/15/2012

See, I think that's okay, encouraging people to exercise in a humorous manner. Unlike the lap band ones which are deluding people into having dubious surgery.

[demisfine]

02:45 PM on 03/15/2012

That was my point. We all know Aliens won't eat fat poeple. They like lean meat.

[First Blast]

11:55 AM on 03/15/2012

I hear eating less is an effective treatment

[tonijustsmh]

12:03 PM on 03/15/2012

You are a fool is you truly believe that. There are many reasons besides over-eating to be overweight - medication and heredity to name a few. You obviously must be thin and have never had any weight issues otherwise you would never say such a thing. Shame on you for being so closed minded.
I am sure you will have some sarcastic comeback but I would expect nothing less.

[Under Fed yet Fed Up]

01:37 PM on 03/15/2012

Excercising has also proven to be effective.

[towncrieroyez]

11:46 AM on 03/15/2012

Now they need to get those commercials off TV.