With gastric bypass surgery, a small stomach pouch is created from your normal stomach. This ‘pouch’ is where your food will go once you swallow it. The pouch is connected to a segment of your intestines so that your food ‘bypasses’ the majority of your remaining stomach (‘remnant stomach’) and the first portion of your small intestines. This means that you will have some malabsorption of some vitamins and minerals.
Gastric bypass helps with weight loss because of restriction (small stomach), hormone changes (changing your hunger) and malabsorption.
Advantages:
- Reduction in portion size
- Reduction in hunger
- Improvement or resolution of medical problems related to obesity
Disadvantages:
- Dumping syndrome
- Malabsorption can lead to poor absorption of iron, calcium and the B vitamins
- Ulcers from smoking or NSAID use
- Strictures at the intestine connections
- Change in the absorption of certain medications
