The gastric bypass, or “Roux-en-Y,” is a medical weight loss procedure. It works by modifying your digestive system. Gastric bypass surgery reduces the size of your stomach, and also the length of your small intestine. As a result, you consume and absorb fewer calories.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Who is gastric bypass surgery for?
Like other bariatric surgery operations, gastric bypass is recommended for people who have clinically severe obesity. It has been shown to help relieve a long list of obesity-related health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and GERD (chronic acid reflux).
What does gastric bypass surgery do?
The Roux-en-Y procedure gets its name from the way it changes your digestive system. “Roux-en-Y” means “in the shape of a Y.” The procedure divides both your stomach and your small intestine, connecting each new segment together to form a “Y” shape.
First, Roux-en-Y surgery reduces the functional part of your stomach to a small pouch, separating it from the rest with surgical staples. This restricts the amount of food that your stomach can hold. Then, it connects the new stomach pouch to a lower segment of your small intestine.
This means that when food goes through your digestive system, it will now bypass most of your stomach and the first part of your small intestine. Because of this bypass, your digestive system won’t absorb all of the nutrients (or calories) in your food.
