The world's youngest gastric sleeve patient claims having risky weightloss surgery at 12 years old transformed her life.

Betsy Sanchez, from Coahuila in Mexico, is delighted to have slimmed down from 15 to ten stone since having 70 per cent of her stomach removed.

Having now taken up exercise for the first time, 14-year-old Betsy is no longer a target for cruel bullies who teased her about her size.

The change took place thanks to the her uncle, Dr Guillermo Alvarez, a bariatric surgeon who carries out the controversial permanent weightloss operations on adolescents.

Betsy's mother Ana, the doctor's second cousin, says that taking the drastic step was the only way to stop her daughter following the same heartbreaking path as Georgia Davis, the 19-year-old British girl whose food addiction caused her to balloon to 63st.

'Diet and exercise didn't work for Betsy - she was addicted to food, only surgery would work,' said 39-year-old Mrs Sanchez.

'If Georgia had an operation at 12, she'd be happy and healthy now. She's lost years of her life. She might be too big now to safely have the operation - which proves it's sometimes better to have it young.' Read more at UK Daily Mail