Weight loss surgery linked to gastrointestinal complaints

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is one of the more popular treatments for significantly obese people, but a new study is showing there may be negative side effects from the surgery.

A recent study found that a large number of people who had gastric bypass surgery complained about gastrointestinal problems two years after their surgery, including indigestion and food intolerance.

The study questioned 249 obese patients who had undergone gastric bypass surgery and 295 obese controls.

Food intolerance for certain, high-fat, high-sugar foods and red meat, were reported in 70.7 percent of the patients who had gastric bypass surgery compared to 16.9 percent of the people in the control group.

"Most studies in weight loss surgery focus on the short-term effects of surgery, and there was limited knowledge about the effect of a gastric bypass on gastrointestinal complaints in the long term," Dr. Thomas Boerlage, lead author of the study said in a press release. "With this study, physicians can better counsel their patients, both before and after surgery. It also helps patients considering a gastric bypass to make a more well-thought decision."

The study was published in the British Journal of Surgery.