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Bacteria Supplements Boost Weight Loss in Gastric Bypass Patients

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Bacteria Supplements Boost Weight Loss in Gastric Bypass Patients

Patients who have opted for gastric bypass surgery can benefit immensely over the long-term by taking probiotic supplements following their procedure, new research has shown.

Also known as “good” or “friendly” bacteria, probiotics are necessary to help the body function well, and can contribute to overall good health and well-being. They mainly serve to help the body’s digestion, as well as the safe and effective absorption of food and nutrients.

It isn’t unusual for gastric bypass patients to experience a wide range of digestive troubles. This is the result of food blockages which develop when food doesn’t proceed through the digestive system properly. Typically, anatomical reasons are the source of such food blockages for many patients, but not always.

To learn more about the effects of bacteria on gastric bypass patients, a study was done using 44 gastric bypass patients who were split randomly into two groups: the probiotic group and the control group. So that the members of both groups would obtain a natural source of probiotics, they were required to eat yogurt, a natural source of probiotics. In addition, the probiotic group received probiotic supplements on a daily basis.

This particular study was done to gain a better understanding of the post-surgery digestion problems experienced by weight loss patients.

The idea for the study came as a result of the need to determine the source of digestion problems experienced by some weight loss surgery patients, who had no clear anatomical reasons for this type of condition. Researchers wanted to find out if the digestive ailments were in fact caused by excess bacteria in the intestines, and to learn if probiotics would successfully eliminate the unpleasant symptoms.

Results from the study were a welcome surprise to the researchers. It turned out that the patients in the study group that took probiotics lost more weight and had higher levels of vitamin B-12 than the control group, which did not take supplements. Bariatric surgeons will now be encouraged to try this probiotic approach to relieve their patients’ digestive symptoms.

Gastric bypass patients should also be proactive, and discuss a probiotics regimen with their surgeon. Patients who do decide to take the supplement route must make sure they are aware of all the possible side effects and other issues related to probiotic supplements, since people react in different ways to the addition of new bacteria into their system.

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