After Gastric Bypass, where does digestion occur? What important functions do people lose when the lower stomach is bypassed?
In normal anatomy with no surgery and in Gastric Bypass patients, absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine. In the standard version of the Gastric Bypass, which is performed in our practice, the mixing of digestive juices (such as bile and pancreatic juice) with nutrients and the absorption of those nutrients is essentially normal. The functions lost when the lower stomach is bypassed are capacity and acid production functions. These functions help a person digest large bulky meals. This ability was necessary in evolutionary times when meals were not regularly available, but it represents excess capacity in today’s society, where food is constantly avaible and easily digested. The bypassed stomach and small intestine do play important roles in the absorption of Iron, Calcium and Vitamin B12, thus we require patients to take supplements, and we follow blood levels of these and other nutrients.
In normal anatomy with no surgery and in Gastric Bypass patients, absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine. In the standard version of the Gastric Bypass, which is performed in our practice, the mixing of digestive juices (such as bile and pancreatic juice) with nutrients and the absorption of those nutrients is essentially normal. The functions lost when the lower stomach is bypassed are capacity and acid production functions. These functions help a person digest large bulky meals. This ability was necessary in evolutionary times when meals were not regularly available, but it represents excess capacity in today’s society, where food is constantly available and easily digested. The bypassed stomach and small intestine do play important roles in the absorption of Iron, Calcium and Vitamin B12, thus we require patients to take supplements, and we follow blood levels of these and other nutrients.
Related Questions
- After Gastric Bypass, where does digestion occur? What important functions do people lose when the lower stomach is bypassed?
- In a gastric bypass procedure, what happens to the lower part of the stomach that is bypassed?
- What important digestive functions do people lose when the lower stomach is bypassed?
