Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is a time-tested treatment for morbid obesity and obesity comorbidities.  It has helped hundreds of thousands of men and women achieve permanent and substantial weight loss, after all other attempts to lose weight have failed, and led to an improvement in their overall health and quality of life.  

Gastric bypass surgery involves both a restrictive and malabsorptive approach to weight loss.  The stomach is sectioned off to create a smaller food pouch and restrict food intake, while the intestines are divided and rerouted to reduce the amount of calories that are absorbed into the body.  

It has been nearly forty years since the first gastric bypass procedure was performed, yet it is still the benchmark by which other types of weight loss surgery are compared.  The amount of intestinal bypass varies among the gastric bypass procedures, but the most common variation is known as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure.

Learn More about Gastric Bypass

How Many Procedures Does it Take to Overcome Learning Curve of Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery?

March 18, 2013
Surgery Learning Curve

A new study provides additional insight into overcoming the learning curve of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and minimizing the risks of adverse outcomes. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is a technically challenging procedure with the potential for catastrophic complications. The complex operation is associated with a long and steep learning curve and involves high-risk [...]

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Study Confirms Advantages of Laparoscopic vs Open Gastric Bypass Surgery

July 13, 2012
Laparoscopic Surgery

A large retrospective study from Stanford University Medical Center confirms and supports the advantages of using laparoscopic surgical techniques rather than open surgery for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedures. After comparing differences in outcomes of more than 150,000 gastric bypass patients, the researchers found that the laparoscopic approach resulted in significantly fewer complications, a shorter hospital [...]

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Gastric Bypass Surgery Satisfies Long-Term

March 26, 2012
Gastric Bypass Long-Term Results

Gastric bypass surgery gets high marks for patient satisfaction and maintenance of substantial weight loss at 11 years post-operatively, according to long-term results of a study published online March 26, 2012 in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. The researchers point out that this study is one of the few studies to provide information on [...]

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Gastric Bypass Surgery Intensifies Effects of Alcohol

March 16, 2011
Drinking Alcohol After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass patients are engaging in risky behavior if they choose to drink alcohol after their operation, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Stanford University. By comparing the preoperative and postoperative alcohol metabolism in gastric bypass patients, researchers found that patients exhibited a much higher breath alcohol content and required significantly more [...]

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Gastric Bypass vs Other Procedures for Obese Patients with Diabetes

February 28, 2011
Gastric Bypass Surgery Improves Diabetes

Gastric bypass surgery appears more likely to achieve resolution of type 2 diabetes compared with laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery and sleeve gastrectomy, according to two studies in the February issue of Archives of Surgery. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are two of the most common and serious health problems in the United States. These [...]

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Overweight Diabetic Patients Wanted for Gastric Bypass Study

February 15, 2011
Gastric Bypass Diabetes Study

Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have announced plans to conduct one of the first studies examining gastric bypass surgery as a treatment for type 2 diabetes rather than for morbid obesity. This study is specifically interested in finding out whether gastric bypass surgery controls diabetes as well or even better than traditional medical [...]

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Gastric Bypass Can Lead to Serious and Irreversible Health Problems

November 17, 2010
Copper Deficiency

Gastric bypass surgery is one of the most popular and well-known types of weight loss surgery. The procedure can cause rapid and dramatic weight loss, but it can also lead to serious and irreversible health problems brought on by severe nutritional deficiencies. According to Nana Gletsu Miller, Ph.D. an assistant professor at the School of [...]

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All is Not So Sweet With Gastric Bypass Surgery

November 3, 2010
Gastric Bypass Taste Sensations

The preference for sweet-tasting substances decreased following gastric bypass surgery, a finding that came from a study conducted on obese rats at Penn State College of Medicine. While doctors know that human patients often report changes in taste preferences after having gastric bypass surgery, it was not known whether human factors, such as awareness and [...]

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Gastric Bypass Surgery Increases Anemia Risk

October 15, 2009
Gastric Bypass Anemia

Nutritional supplements may not be enough to avoid iron deficiency and anemia after gastric bypass surgery. According to a new study it appears that low iron levels in some gastric bypass patients may not be due to a reduced iron intake, but to the body’s inability to absorb iron after gastro-intestinal alteration. The study, which [...]

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Carnie Wilson, Gastric Bypass Surgery and Pregnancy

July 20, 2009
Pregnancy and Gastric Bypass Surgery

Congratulations to Carnie Wilson! Last month she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Luciana Bella, her second child with husband Rob Bonfiglio. Her first child, daughter Lola Sofia, is now 4 years old. What impresses me about Carnie Wilson, and the reason I mention her here, is her apparent willingness to share her weight [...]

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