What is dumping syndrome?
“Dumping syndrome” is the body’s reaction to the sudden entry of sugar into the small intestine. Patients may experience symptoms resembling the flu, including cold sweats, lightheadedness, racing heart or palpitations, nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Time and rest can help alleviate symptoms. For this reason, patients should avoid foods and beverages that are high in sugar. LAP-BAND® System patients do not typically experience dumping syndrome.
Dumping syndrome is caused by eating sugars, or other foods which contain many small particles, on an empty stomach. These substances produce a high osmotic load. Your body handles these by diluting the food particles with water, which reduces blood volume, and causes a shock-like state. Sugar may also induce insulin shock, due to the altered physiology of your intestinal tract. The result is a very unpleasant feeling, as you break out in a cold clammy sweat, turn pale white, feel butterflies in your stomach and a pounding pulse. This may be followed by cramps and diarrhea. This state can last for 30 – 60 minutes, and is quite uncomfortable – most have to lie down until it goes away. It can be avoided by not eating the foods which cause it, especially on an empty stomach. A small amount of sweet, such as fruit, is well-tolerated at the end of a meal.
After Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass, your body will be less likely to tolerate “refined” sugars or high amounts of fats. When these foods are eaten, your pancreas is signaled to secrete insulin and cause fluids to be drawn into the intestine. This causes a reaction called “dumping syndrome.” Symptoms include sweating, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, cramps, vomiting and diarrhea that can last about 60 – 90 minutes, depending on what and how much you have eaten. The symptoms can mimic the flu or symptoms of a low blood-sugar reaction. Dumping syndrome can be avoided by not consuming those foods that cause it and following your prescribed nutrition plan.
Gastric bypass surgery causes food to be moved from the small stomach pouch straight into the small intestine. Sweets and foods high in fat can irritate the small intestine and produces an unpleasant feeling. If you eat while drinking fluids, the same affect is produced. You should wait half an hour between drinking and eating.
Dumping syndrome is a result of the rapid passage of food into the small intestines. It is caused by eating sweets; fried, fatty or greasy foods; eating too much at one meal; or drinking fluids with your meals. Symptoms include cramping, sweating, flushed appearance, dizziness, weakness, headache and eventually diarrhea. The best way to avoid dumping syndrome is to follow our dietary guidelines.
