What is gastric bypass and what is it for? All about this weight reduction surgery

Do you want to know what is gastric bypass and how can it help you lose weight and regain your health?? In this post we tell you everything you need to know about this surgical procedure.

Like any other surgery, the gastric bypass has its pros and consAlthough it is not a particularly risky operation, it requires certain care and involves changing certain habits in your life.

Therefore, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with this procedure and its peculiarities, so that you will know if it fits what you need and if you will be able to do what is necessary to make it 100% effective and safe.

What is gastric bypass?

Gastric bypass, also known as gastric bypass, is a bariatric surgery in which the useful size of the stomach is reduced to decrease both the absorption of fats and sugars, as well as the appetite that is felt. 

As a result, gastric bypass helps to decrease the amount of food a person needs to feel full, and in the process also mitigates the impact of food on their weight.

For this reason, gastric bypass is recommended for people with morbid obesity and, on occasion, for individuals with conditions related to sugar or diet, such as diabetes. 

What is gastric bypass surgery for?

Gastric bypass serves to reduce appetite, to decrease the amount of food needed to feel full, and to mitigate the absorption of sugars and fats.

But it is not only for weight loss, as gastric bypass also reduces insulin production, which can help remedy or reduce the impact of diseases such as type 2 diabetes. 

And given its impact on fat absorption, it can also solve cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension.

Thus, although the main benefit of gastric bypass is weight reduction, it also serves to treat diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

What does gastric bypass consist of?

The gastric bypass consists in the reduction of the useful space of the stomach, for this a cut is made to the small intestine and the stomach, after this cut, a part of the stomach is left with the size of a small bag or cavity of between 15 or 30 ml that is connected directly to the small intestine.

It is this pouch or cavity that will act as the reduced stomach, while the other part of the stomach will remain isolated from the digestive tract.

Thus, after the bypass, when you consume food, it will pass directly into the small stomach pouch and then into the small intestine without being processed through the entire stomach and bypassing a section of the small intestine surrounding the pancreas.

With this your body will absorb less sugars, fats and calories, and you will also need much less food to feel satisfied, so you will lose weight progressively.

As you may have noticed, gastric bypass is a complex surgical procedure, so it is not the cheapest of the bariatric surgeries. Therefore, in addition to understanding what it will mean for your body, it is necessary for you to consider how much does a gastric bypass cost to see if it fits your budget.

Why is gastric bypass surgery performed?

Gastric bypass is done to help you reduce your weight and avoid serious health problems associated with high body mass indexes.

If, for example, you have a body mass of 40 or more, considered extreme obesity, or your body mass index (BMI) is 35 or 39 (obesity) you may urgently need surgery.

It also applies if your weight problems have caused high-risk diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or chronic sleep apnea. These are all symptoms of imbalances in your body due to excessive weight.

In cases such as these, gastric bypass is performed to facilitate weight reduction and ensure that the body returns to a healthier body mass index.reducing the effort to which the whole organism is subjected.

Therefore, beyond aesthetic objectives, gastric bypass is also done for medical reasons and its health benefits are more than proven.

Advantages and disadvantages of gastric bypass

As you might expect, a gastric bypass is a delicate procedure that has important advantages, but also some disadvantages that are worth considering if you are thinking about having one of these procedures.

Let's start with the disadvantages.

Disadvantages of gastric bypass

• Requires general anesthesia.
• The operation lasts about two hours and the hospital stay is 2 or 3 days.
• It requires a particular diet after the operation.
• The patient will have to take vitamin supplements all his life, because the operation also reduces the absorption of some nutrients.

Advantages of gastric bypass

• It is a very efficient weight loss operation, approximately 70% to 80% of excess weight can be lost.
• Reduces the symptoms and effects of diabetes, hypertension and other disorders derived from obesity. 
• It significantly reduces the production of ghrelin, the hunger hormone.
• Helps reduce the consumption of fats, calories and sugars.

What are the risks of gastric bypass?

Although gastric bypass is not an invasive or very dangerous surgery, like any other surgical procedure, it has its risks, including:

• Malabsorption syndromeWhen undergoing bypass surgery, you may have symptoms of malabsorption, i.e., there is a risk of anemia due to poor absorption of nutrients such as iron, calcium and vitamin B12.
• Stomach strictureThis happens when the duct of the stomach and intestine is narrowed, this can cause vomiting when eating or drinking beverages. However, it can be easily treated.
• Rapid gastric emptying syndromeCommon symptoms are diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, etc. It is caused by the change in the rate of food processing after surgery. This tends to occur if you consume fats or sugars, so you should take care of what you eat after surgery.
• PeritonitisThe most serious complication: this is the strongest complication, there is a minor risk of inflammation of the peritoneum, in which case it will have to be addressed quickly, although in general, this is very unlikely.

Although all these complications are a possibility, it is unlikely that you will suffer any of them if you take the necessary precautions, watch your diet and have the procedure performed by a specialized professional.

After all, in the operating room you'll depend on the skill of your bariatric surgeon, so it pays to get the best one to minimize the risks of gastric bypass.

What results can you expect with a gastric bypass?

With gastric bypass you can expect considerable weight loss (60 to 70 % in many cases) in 6 to 12 months.After the operation, you will also experience an improvement in your physical condition and a decrease in cardiovascular and sugar-related discomforts.

In this regard, the before and after gastric bypass not only represents changes in your weight, but also in your health.

Now that you understand what gastric bypass is and what it's for, you'll have a better idea if it's the operation for you.

However, to be much clearer about what type of bariatric surgery might be right for you, it's a good idea to compare what bypass offers with procedures like gastric sleeve.

Although it may not seem like it, there are important differences between the gastric sleeve and bypass and these are the keys to understand which procedure is ideal in your case.

In any case, remember, it is essential to have the advice of an bariatric to evaluate your needs and health conditions, to ensure that the choice of procedure is the right one and that it will give you the results you expect.