Dr Oz: Gastric Bypass & Alcoholism
Gastric Bypass Surgery, a method to shrink your stomach and lose weight, is growing in popularity. But Dr Oz said that there is some breaking news of a hidden dark side to this procedure: Alcoholism.
Susan Jones is a Gastric Bypass patient, now five years sober, who says that having the operation put her on the path to alcoholism. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the operation doubled a patient’s risk for developing alcohol problems, compared to patients undergoing less drastic weight loss procedures.
Dr Oz: Does Gastric Bypass Cause Alcoholism?
Does Gastric Bypass Surgery lead to alcoholism? Dr Oz’s experts concluded that, in addition to physical changes, alcohol may replace a food addiction.
Doctors now think the surgery changes how alcohol is metabolized in the body, increasing its rate of absorption and making it more addictive. Jones said she never had a problem with alcohol before the surgery.
Once she began drinking socially, her behavior quickly spiraled out of control. She lost her marriage and was estranged from family and friends until seeking help at a residential treatment facility. Three of her fellow residents had also had Gastric Bypass Surgery.
Dr Oz: Alcoholism in Bypass Patients
Susan Jones said that she was never warned in any way about this possibility. Dr Oz met with bariatric surgeon Dr Marina Kurian, who said this story is not unusual. But she thought it is partly due to an increase in the number of these operations.
Why would this type of operation cause someone to develop a problem with alcohol? Psychiatrist and addiction specialist Reef Karim said it is shocking to people. But he explained that it changes the delivery system for alcohol in the body.
Dr Oz: Alcohol Replaces Food Addiction?
“We’re seeing this happen here because we’re skipping the stomach,” Karim said, which means that organ cannot regulate how quickly it gets into your bloodstream. Rather than it taking 30 minutes for alcohol to get through the stomach, the effects are almost instant.
Dr Oz also questioned whether Alcoholism is a replacement for a previous Food Addiction. Karim said that the medical approach to this type of surgery tends to focus on digestive issues but not the brain and its addiction responses.
“We’re seeing a possible transfer of that addiction from food to alcohol,” Karim concluded.
Dr Oz: Are You a Lightweight?
What is Dr Kurian doing to warn her patients about this potential risk? She told Doctor Oz that she informs her patients about this possibility, and the prospect of altered alcohol metabolism. She suggests that post-surgical patients ease back into alcohol use months down the road.
Karim said that patients can consider their relationship to alcohol prior to surgery. If someone is already a lightweight going in, that could be a warning sign post-op.
Dr Oz said he believes that Bariatric Surgery is under-performed, but patients must be able to address their emotional issues as well.
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