Bariatric medicine deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. A bariatric medicine physician, or bariatrician, may treat patients with diet and nutrition, exercise, behavior modification or medication. The bariatrician may also coordinate patient care with a bariatric surgeon, who may perform surgery. Bariatric or gastric bypass surgery, also known as roux-en-Y gastric bypass, creates a small pouch of the stomach that bypasses part of the intestine. When the size of the stomach is reduced by surgery, it allows less food to be ingested, resulting in weight loss.

Obesity is damaging to one’s health: some of the negative effects of obesity are heart disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, hypertension, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, arthritis; and obesity has been known to shorten one’s lifespan.

Minnesota has a population of 5,132,799, more than half of which is in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, also called the Twin Cities. Though St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota, Minneapolis is its largest city. Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” so summer water-based activities and winter ice fishing, skating, skiing and snowmobiling are popular in this state. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is located at Minnesota’s northern boundary. When in the Twin Cities, be sure to visit the nearby Mall of America in Bloomington; the most-visited shopping mall in the world.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Minnesota has a population of 5,132,799. Of this population, 1,189,370 are under the age of 18 and 621,336 are at or above the age of 65.