Weight loss surgery and alcohol don’t mix, says a study carried out by researchers at the University of Illinois in the United States. The results, presented in the journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, indicate that sleeve gastrectomy halves alcohol tolerance in women.
This operation, which involves removing part of the stomach, speeds up the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. The effects of alcohol reach the brain faster, increasing the risk of addiction. After a sleeve gastrectomy, consuming one or two glasses of alcohol would be equivalent to drinking 4 to 5 drinks in people who have not been operated on.
A higher blood alcohol level and a more intense feeling of drunkenness
The researchers conducted their study on 11 women who had sleeve gastrectomy, 8 women who had another weight loss surgery, called Roux-en-Y and already known to increase the risk of alcohol dependence, and 9 women who did not ‘have not undergone any surgery.
Results, the women who had never been operated had a blood alcohol level of 0.6 g / L of blood approximately 26 minutes after consuming alcohol. For women who have had a gastrectomy, they are 1.1g / L 9 minutes after drinking. Finally, after Roux-en-Y surgery, the level is 1g / L after 5 minutes. Participants in the latter two groups also reported experiencing more intense intoxication.
The authors of the study do not question the effectiveness of these operations as a long-term treatment for obesity, but given these results, they urge the patients concerned to severely limit their alcohol consumption. They also insist on the essential role of surgeons and health professionals who must inform their patients of the consequences that their alcohol consumption can have after the operation.
Read also :
Weight loss surgery reduces the risk of cancer
Long-term obesity surgery effective in teens
The “fattest woman in the world” lost 242 kilos in 2 months