What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?
Gastric Bypass Surgery is a surgical aid to cure morbid obesity. Morbid obesity is a complex, medical disease, which affects more than nine million people in the United States. It is not a moral problem due to a lack of will power. Studies have shown that diets, medications, behavioral modification or exercise programs have a 95% failure rate in this population, due to underlying physiologic, chemical and genetic factors. Morbidly obese patients have a very high risk of associated health problems and early death. People who may consider gastrointestinal surgery include those with a body mass index (BMI) above 40—about 100 pounds of overweight for men and 80 pounds for women. People with a BMI between 35 and 40 who suffer from type 2 diabetes or life-threatening cardiopulmonary problems such as severe sleep apnea or obesity-related heart disease may also be candidates for surgery.

How does gastric bypass surgery promote weight loss?
Gastrointestinal surgery for obesity, also called bariatric surgery, alters the digestive process. The operations promote weight loss by closing off parts of the stomach to make it smaller. Operations that only reduce stomach size are known as “restrictive operations” because they restrict the amount of food the stomach can hold. Some operations combine stomach restriction with a partial bypass of the small intestine. These procedures create a direct connection from the stomach to the lower segment of the small intestine, literally bypassing portions of the digestive tract that absorb calories and nutrients.

There is a risk of dying during surgery!

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