How Weight Loss Surgery Reduces Weight

How Weight Loss Surgery Reduces Weight

Bariatric surgeons have refined their weight loss procedures over the years as they began to realise the significant results they were producing and improving people’s way of life. This was first realised when surgery was used to remove large portions of a patient’s stomach, and noted that following surgery the patients failed to maintain the weight they were before surgery. As further research and experience developed amendments to weight loss procedures were made, which would help morbidly obese patients. Risks have been dramatically reduced and results have been improved upon, which allows for the surgeon to select the best weight loss surgery technique to be used and reasons for doing so. This is assisted largely by the quantity of clinical data now available to surgeons.

There exists two weight loss surgery approaches to improve a patient’s weight and health;

• Restrictive surgery which reduce food intake
• Mal-absorptive procedures which change digestion, so that the food is not completely absorbed.

Restrictive Weight Loss Surgery

Restrictive surgery works based on the fact that when you feel full you experience less hunger cravings and are therefore likely to eat less. Restrictive weight loss reduces the quantity of food at any one time, but does not adjust the natural digestion of the food. In restrictive procedures the surgeon will create a ‘pouch’ in the upper part of the stomach, which connects to the remainder of the stomach via a ‘stoma’. 15 – 30 ml is the capacity of the small pouch and the effects this can have on an obedient patient is a lower caloric intake over a sustained period of time and therefore constant weight loss.

With this form of procedure patients must stick to a diet suggested to them by their surgeon for the procedure to prove successful in the long-term. As the patient returns back to their own diet, they must continue a healthy, balanced diet to prevent gaining weight again. The best results from restrictive weight procedures are found in those who eat less, more slowly and restricting too many liquids, especially those rich in carbonates.

For those patients who fail to follow the dietary guidelines, the stomach pouch may expand and reverse the positive effects of the surgery. Constant snacks and high caloric liquids have an adverse effect on the effectiveness of surgery, so adhering to guidelines and a proper diet is a more important decision than the procedure itself. Without self-control and a change in eating habits, restrictive weight loss will not work independently.

Mal-absorptive Weight Loss Surgery

Mal-absorptive weight loss works in concurrence with restrictive weight loss when restrictive weight loss cannot tackle the problem on its own. Mal-absorptive weight loss amends the body’s digestion, commonly achieved by a bypass of the small intestine which reduces caloric absorption. Mal-absorptive surgery has resulted in a general increase in excess weight loss. The side-effects typically increase as the small intestine bypass increases. These concerns should be discussed, in detail, with your bariatric surgeon prior to committing to weight loss surgery at all.

The Gastrointestinal Tract

Understanding how weight loss surgery works is best illustrated with an explanation of your gastrointestinal tract, and its many functions. As food which you have eaten passes along the gastrointestinal tract, enzymes and juices are brought together as the food progresses which allow nutrients to be absorbed. The wasted food is then arranged for removal.

1. The oesophagus traverses food from the mouth to the stomach
2. The abdomen encloses all digestive organs
3. The stomach is located at the top of the abdomen and typically holds approximately three pints of food from one single meal. It is here where acid is added to the food to prepare it for digestion by breaking it down into smaller components
4. There exists a valve between the stomach and oesophagus which prevents the food returning to the oesophagus resulting in discomfort and potential damage.
5. The pylorus can be found at the outlet of the stomach. Its job is to close the stomach outlet whilst the digestion process is taking place. Once the food has been properly digested the stomach’s outlet is re-opened allowing food to pass.
6. The small intestine is 15ft – 20 ft long and this is where the absorption of nutrients takes place. The small intestine is broken down into tree main parts; the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum.
7. The duodenum mixes the food with bile (which is fashioned by the liver) as well as other fluids from the pancreas. The iron and calcium is absorbed at this stage.
8. The jejunum is entirely responsible for digestion.
9. The ileum absorbs vitamins A, D, E and K.
10. There exists a separate valve between the small and large intestines which prevent bacteria-laced contents from arriving back inside the small intestine.