Ghrelin and Gastric Surgery
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Unlike ghrelin levels in the diet group,
those in the surgery group did not oscillate in relation to meals. In
fact, "ghrelin levels not only failed to rise but dropped profoundly,"
says Dr. David Cummings, the study's lead researcher and endocrinologist
at VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and the University of Washington in
Seattle.
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Cummings explains the reason for
the dramatic difference: The objective of gastric bypass surgery
is to shrink the stomach to only 5 percent of its original size
by rewiring the course of food through the digestive system. The
tiny new stomach pouch can hold only two teaspoons of food, which
then travels into the very first part of the small intestine.
It is the presence of ingested food
and nutrients that activate the ghrelin cells in the stomach. The
permanent absence of food in this organ ultimately suppresses ghrelin
production.
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For next page, click Weight
Loss Diet and Ghrelin
Weight Loss Surgery - No Guarantees
Gastrointestinal weight loss surgery is not an easy weight loss option.
It's a serious surgical procedure whose long-term weight loss success
depends on a patient's commitment to diet and behavior modification for
life, along with exercise for weight control.
See also:
Return to Facts
About Surgery for Weight Loss
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