Gastric Bypass Surgery and Obesity: What, Who, Why and How

What?

Gastric bypass surgery and obesity are becoming a recognized pair in the field of weight loss treatments and surgery. Gastric bypass surgery is an invasive procedure wherein the stomach and small intestines are manipulated and their size reduced in order to decrease ability to hold food and absorb calories. The effect therefore, is weight loss on the part of the patient.

Who?

Gastric bypass surgery may be procedure for weight loss, but it is not indicated for everyone who would like to maintain a figure and keep trim. In fact, it is not recommended until one undergoes several medical assessments and is found to qualify for the surgery. People who are extremely obese are the usual patients, but the reason for obesity is greatly considered. In particular, if a patient is obese because hormone imbalance prevents calorie consumption, or physical intolerance prevent burning through exercise, gastric bypass surgery may be the best answer. It is especially recommended if obesity has a great impact on the patient’s health and if it greatly contributes to existing diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments.

Why?

Excess fats in the body can interfere with the way the body organs and systems work. Therefore, an obese individual may develop complications and diseases caused by excessive fats, for instance, heart diseases and liver ailments. Furthermore, obesity may come to a point wherein a person can no longer perform activities of daily living, such as simply getting out of bed. Obesity affects even the mental and emotional well-being of an individual, as weight issues may cause inferiority complex or being shunned by people around him or her. For people who have tried everything to lose weight, but certain conditions that are out of their control resist these efforts, gastric bypass surgery and obesity are the perfect match.

How?

Simply put, the procedure is performed under general anesthesia. The doctor cuts the patient open and staples the stomach to divide it into two, the upper and lower segments. The upper will be the size of a walnut. This upper segment, which receives food that has been swallowed, is then connected to the part of the small intestine that would normally be connected to the lower segment of the stomach. This way, food bypasses the lower segment, and instantly goes from upper stomach to small intestine. Therefore, people will only be able to eat very little, as this little upper part can only hold 1 ounce of food.