How does bariatric surgery promote weight loss?
Weight-loss surgery for obesity makes large-scale changes in the digestive process. The operations promote weight loss by closing off parts of the stomach so that it holds less food, which means you can only eat very small quantities at a time. Operations that solely reduce stomach size are known as restrictive operations because they restrict the amount of food the stomach can hold. Another kind of weight-loss surgery combines stomach restriction with a partial bypass of the small intestine. Such procedures create a direct connection from the stomach to the lower segment of the small intestine, literally bypassing portions of the digestive tract that previously absorbed more of the calories and the nutrients in food. These surgeries are known as malabsorptive operations.
Weight-loss surgery for obesity makes large-scale changes in the digestive process. The operations promote weight loss by closing off parts of the stomach so that it holds less food, which means you can only eat very small quantities of food at a time. Operations that solely reduce stomach size are known as restrictive operations because they restrict the amount of food the stomach can hold. Another kind of weight-loss surgery combines stomach restriction with a partial bypass of the small intestine. Such procedures create a direct connection from the stomach to the lower segment of the small intestine, literally bypassing portions of the digestive tract that previously absorbed more of the calories and the nutrients in food. These surgeries are known as malabsorptive operations.
