Kayla Northam's weight topped 300 pounds as a teenager. She'd started to develop diabetes, and liver and joint problems before seeking bariatric surgery about a decade ago at age 18. Kayla Northam hide caption
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bariatric surgery
When exercise and diet aren't enough, some parents consider stomach-reduction surgery for obese teens. Roos Koole/Getty Images hide caption
A new study counters the presumption that bariatric surgery is just a short-term fix for severe obesity. Hero Images/Getty Images hide caption
Physical exercise, diet and supportive counseling are the first steps of any weight-loss program. But sometimes that's not enough to take large amounts of weight off, and keep it off, doctors say. 13/Ocean/Corbis hide caption
Woman weighing herself. ImageZoo/Corbis hide caption
A lap band displayed on a model of a human stomach. It creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach that makes people feel full more quickly. iStockphoto hide caption
About 23 million adults have Type 2 diabetes, and most of them are overweight or obese. iStockphoto hide caption
Just knowing that someone is obese doesn't mean they would benefit from bariatric surgery, doctors say. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Evidence is growing that bariatic surgery reduces health risks of obesity. Life in View/Science Source hide caption