Study: Alcohol Abuse Increases After Weight Loss Surgery

Obese patients who have gastric bypass surgery for weight loss may have a higher risk of developing alcohol abuse problems, according to a study.

The study shows the following as a result of weight loss surgery:

• The alcohol abuse rate climbed 2 percent after surgery
• Alcohol abuse is more frequent after gastric bypasses, in younger men

Although the rate of alcohol abuse climbed only 2 percent after the procedures, this translates into more than 2,000 new cases of abuse every year in the United States, according to the findings, which were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in San Diego.

They were also published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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For the study, Wendy King of the University of Pittsburgh and colleagues followed nearly 2,000 patients who had undergone a weight-loss procedure, including gastric bypass surgery and gastric banding, in which a silicone band is placed around the top portion of the stomach to restrict food intake.

People in the study answered questions about their drinking habits before surgery and again one and/or two years later. The team then rated the alcohol use on a scale developed by the World Health Organization to measure alcohol use disorders.

Before surgery, 7.6 percent of the patients had drinking problems, but two years after surgery, it had increased to 9.6 percent.

Despite the increased rates of alcohol abuse, a specialist says obese patients shouldn’t be deterred from procedures

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Tips for care after weight loss surgery

One of the purposes of weight loss surgery is to allow your stomach to heal without being stretched by the food you eat. Therefore it is essential that you strictly follow the staged diet guidelines placed by your doctor.

A gastric bypass diet typically follows a staged approach to help you ease back into eating solid foods. The rate you move from one step to the next will depend on how fast your body heals and adjusts to the change in your eating patterns. You can usually start eating regular foods about three months after surgery.

According to the Mayo Clinic, at each stage of the gastric bypass diet, you must be careful to:

• Drink 64 ounces of fluid a day, to avoid dehydration.
• Sip liquids between meals, not with meals. Wait about 30 minutes after a meal to drink anything and avoid drinking 30 minutes before a meal.
• Eat and drink slowly, to avoid dumping syndrome — which occurs when foods and liquids enter your small intestine rapidly and in larger amounts than normal, causing nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating and diarrhea.
• Eat lean, protein-rich foods daily.
• Choose foods and drinks that are low in fats and sugar.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Limit caffeine, which can cause dehydration.
• Take vitamin and mineral supplements daily as directed by your health provider.
• Chew foods thoroughly to a pureed consistency before swallowing, once you progress beyond liquids only.