Weight loss more difficult for diabetics after gastric byass surgery, new study shows

Winter Park, FL

Diabetics and people with larger stomachs may have more difficulty losing weight after gastric bypass surgery, according to a new study.

The surgery involves doctors creating a smaller stomach pouch that restricts food intake and bypasses large sections of the digestive system. Although it’s an effective way for thousands of obese people to lose weight, approximately five to 15 percent of patients do not lose weight successfully.

In the study, 12 percent of patients did not lose the expected amount of weight a year after the surgery. Diabetes and having a larger size stomach pouch after surgery were independently associated with poor weight loss, researchers said.

The study’s authors said diabetics might take insulin or other drugs that stimulate the production of fat and cholesterol. They concluded that changes in the use of diabetes medications may reduce the risk of poor weight loss after gastric bypass surgery.

During gastric bypass, surgeons estimate the stomach pouch size using anatomical landmarks rather than using a sizing balloon.

“As the use of gastric bypass continues to grow, we believe it is critical to stress the importance of and to teach the creation of the small gastric pouch and to better standardize the technique used for pouch creation,” the authors wrote.

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