Dangers of Weight Loss Surgery
October 15,2004
By Dr. Dean Edell
Gastric bypass surgery is helping thousands of people
lose
weight. But there's a downside that many patients
don't know about, and in many cases it's because they're
not being told. Dr. Dean Edell reports.
Dani Hart knew she had to lose weight. Like many, she heard all about the benefits of the weight loss surgery gastric bypass.
Dani Hart, gastric bypass patient: "I saw Carnie Wilson on TV, and she made it sound like it was real easy, and if she could do it, so could I."
No one mentioned a downside, not even her doctor.
Dani Hart: "I asked him, 'Is there anybody who's had any problems?' 'No.'"
So Dani had the surgery and she had numerous complications, including severe bone loss, despite vitamin supplements.
Dani Hart: "I took four times the amount that was recommended, and it wasn't enough."
Dr. Tom O'Dorisio says problems like these are to be expected. During the surgery, a bypass is made around most of the stomach and small intestine. Fewer calories are absorbed but so are fewer nutrients, including Vitamin D.
Dr. Tom O'Dorisio, endocrinologist: "If you are not getting it in your diet, you draw from the store. And calcium is in the bone, so you just keep borrowing it until it's too late."
Dr. O'Dorisio says patients need to be proactive.
Dr. Tom O'Dorisio: "They may be forced to take a very highly, well-absorbed form of Vitamin D, which is the biologically-active Vitamin D in you and I."
Most importantly, he says, is that patients know the risks, something Dani learned doctors don't always provide. She had her surgery reversed and now is working on losing weight the old-fashioned way.
Stomach bypass surgery can be incredibly successful for severely obese patients. But it's not easy. Success requires a commitment to eating a carefully balanced diet for the rest of your life making sure you get all the critical nutrients your body needs.
A new study found teens developed nerve damage because they weren't getting enough vitamin B1 in their diets. To learn more about nutrition and severe weight loss, click below.
Source:http://abclocal.go.com
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