The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the UK's watchdog on new treatments, has just recommended that surgery be offered to grossly obese children, 12 or older, in hopes that it will not only control their weight, but perhaps help make a dent in Britain's obesity epidemic. The news raises an obvious next question of whether or not America will follow suit.

During the Stomach Stapling procedure - also known as Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) - both a band and staples are used to create a small stomach pouch to limit the amount of food a patient can eat at one time. Studies have shown that "about 30 percent of those who undergo VBG achieve normal weight, and about 80 percent achieve some degree of weight loss." Despite the fact that the procedure is reversible, it is not, however, without a long list of possible complications including vomiting, digestive difficulty, addiction transference, and death.

At the end of the day, I'm of the opinion that we can't blame childhood obesity on one factor. Genetics, diet, lifestyle, finances and education - to name a few - are all possible factors when trying to make sense of a child's abnormally large size. Let there be no misunderstanding, I do understand the argument that a majority of overweight children grow into overweight adults, and are therefore at risk for greater (not to mention costly) medical problems such as diabetes. With the ever-growing trend of teenagers and plastic surgery, however, I can't help but fear the day will come when stomach stapling for children becomes as common as braces or a filling. Then again, the topic does conjure up flashbacks of neighbors of mine back in Texas, and their four-year-old daughter who weighed over one hundred pounds. The parents were nice, extra large, hardworking people. And I am certain that if someone had knocked on their door, offered them a chance to spare their daughter from some of the medical problems, not to mention cruelties, that they had already experienced as young, overweight adults, they would have put her under the knife that very day. In truth, I certainly would have backed their decision. What do you think?