Gastric bypass surgery not for drinkers

New research conducted in the US shows that gastric bypass surgery which is performed on obese patients to limit their food intake, could double the risk of alcohol problems two years after the procedure, compared to the less invasive laparoscopic gastric banding.

The first study to investigate the risk of alcohol use disorders before and after obesity surgeries found that just over nine percent of gastric bypass patients developed drinking problems two years after surgery, a significant increase compared to before the procedure. This was compared to about six percent of patients who had drinking problems (including binge drinking, drinking in the morning, and blacking out while drinking) after laparoscopic banding surgery, the researchers reported after analysing almost two thousand patients from ten US hospitals.

Gastric bypass surgery seemed to increase a patient’s sensitivity to alcohol, allowing more alcohol to enter the bloodstream at a faster rate, according to researcher Dr Wendy King from the University of Pittsburgh.  â€œIt is concerning that one in eight participants reported consuming at least three drinks per typical drinking day and one in six participants reported consumption at a hazardous level in the second postoperative year,” she and her colleagues said.

Though gastric bypass may double the risk of alcohol problems, the authors pointed out that the overall change rate of alcohol disorder pre and post surgery was minimal - just under eight percent involved in the study reported some type of alcohol problem before surgery, while about ten percent had an alcohol problem afterwards and about six percent had symptoms of alcoholism.

Regardless of alcohol history, patients should be educated about the potential effects of gastric bypass surgery it was advised. Gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries are performed on people whose body mass index (BMI) is forty or higher (extreme obesity).  It is also commonly performed on people with a BMI of thirty-five and above, who also have serious weight-related health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or severe sleep apnea.

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