Can Bariatric Surgery Boost your Metabolism?
To metabolize something is to process it. When it comes to biological functions, we metabolize plenty of compounds, including calories, vitamins, and sugars. When others casually talk about metabolism, however, they’re likely referring to the rate at which you manage calories and fats, turning them into energy to go about your daily routine, exercise, and help your body’s natural processes function optimally. People often point to a sluggish metabolism for being overweight, but the cause is more complicated than that.
Extreme obesity alters metabolism in many ways, from how active you are and how this affects your ability to burn calories, to an inability to correctly process glucose, leading to the development of type 2 diabetes. “Weight gain generally occurs when there is an energy imbalance or, in other words, the amount of food (energy) consumed is greater than the number of calories burned (energy expended) by the body in the performance of biological functions, daily activities, and exercise.” (“Bariatric Surgery,” n.d.)
Even the unbalanced hormone levels present in obese patients can impact metabolic rate. With all these complex factors playing into your metabolism, will weight loss surgery provide the kick-start your body needs to help you feel healthy and maintain weight loss?
Gut Instinct: The Gastrointestinal Tract and Metabolism
When it comes to weight loss, there’s no surprise that the stomach and intestinal tract are the essential parts of the discussion. A hormone secreted in the stomach, called GLP-1, is vital in controlling appetite and allowing the gastrointestinal tract to function as it should. Bariatric surgery in which the stomach is reduced, and the intestines are rerouted has been shown to increase your body’s production of this hormone, which can provide you with a boost in metabolism and dramatic, successful weight loss.
“The currently standardized method of bariatric surgery, gastric bypass, means that many gastrointestinal peptide hormones are activated, yielding net reductions in appetite and food intake. Among the most important gut peptide hormones in this perspective is glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which rises sharply after gastric bypass.” (Webb, Abrahamsson, Sundbom, & Hellström, 2017)
GLP-1 is shown to influence how the body processes sugar (glucose) which is also part of what makes weight loss surgery so effective in resolving type 2 diabetes. “In addition to the strong but strictly glucose-dependent insulinotropic effect of GLP-1, the hormone has also been shown to enhance important steps of insulin biosynthesis […].” (Knop & Taylor, 2013)
Fat Metabolism and Bariatric Surgery
What most people are interested in when it comes to the body’s metabolic process, is what it means for fat accumulation and fat burning. Having an extreme amount of excess fat is referred to as metabolic syndrome and describes many obese patients. Excessive fat can be the product of overeating fried, processed, and packaged foods or hormone imbalances that program the body to store fat.
At its core, weight loss surgery is intended to reduce the amount of food you can intake, thereby allowing you to burn stored energy (fat) after the small number of calories you intake and metabolize has been expended. “Bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, work by changing the anatomy of your gastrointestinal tract (stomach and digestive system) or by causing different physiologic changes in your body that change your energy balance and fat metabolism.” (“Benefits,” n.d.)
In short, weight loss does indeed affect fat metabolism, allowing patients to shed pounds and benefit from improved biological processes to manage energy.
Vitamin Deficiency and Increased Metabolic Rate
Your body’s new-found ability to process sugars, fats, and nutrients also have an impact on specific compounds you want to linger in the body, unlike excess fat. After gastric bypass, patients experience a deficiency in Vitamins A and D, which are responsible for many vital functions, such as keeping the lungs, kidneys, bones, and heart healthy. Patients will need to take supplements to ensure they are not short on these essential Vitamins.
While it may seem like a bother to add nutritional supplements to your routine, in addition to your post-bariatric surgery diet, patients should note that weight loss treatment resolves many conditions caused by obesity, such as type two diabetes, hypertension, and heart problems. You will no longer need medications to manage these conditions, making vitamin pills a small change to promote your long-term health.
Ask Our Bariatric Specialists about Weight Loss Surgery and Your Health
Many factors contribute to weight gain and loss, and how hormones and specific gut peptides affect your weight. Just as there is no simple answer to how bariatric surgery plays into metabolic health, there is no singular cause of obesity and treatment to correct it. For more information on what bariatric surgery can do to improve your health and body wellness, contact our office today to schedule a consultation.
References
Bariatric Surgery Misconceptions. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2018, from https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-misconceptions
Benefits of Bariatric Surgery. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://asmbs.org/patients/benefits-of-bariatric-surgery
Knop, F. K., & Taylor, R. (2013). Mechanism of Metabolic Advantages After Bariatric Surgery: It’s all gastrointestinal factors versus it’s all food restriction. Diabetes Care, 36(Supplement_2). doi:10.2337/dcs13-2032
Webb, D., Abrahamsson, N., Sundbom, M., & Hellström, P. M. (2017). Bariatric surgery – time to replace with GLP-1? Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 52(6-7), 635-640. doi:10.1080/00365521.2017.1293154