Within each of our intestines lives a colony of bacteria. In fact, researchers believe that each of us have around 4 trillion bacteria in our intestines. Most of the bacteria are located in the large intestine, while very few microorganisms are found in the small intestine. This is a good thing considering that excessive amounts of bacteria in the small intestine may be correlated with obesity. In fact, researchers have found that excessive bacteria in the small intestine may increase the rate of gastric emptying (and thereby decrease satiety/fullness after a meal), decrease the body’s production of the hormone leptin (a hormone that tells you that you are full and to stop eating), and increase the amount of calories that can be extracted from food. As you can see, excessive microbes in the small intestine make it difficult to get skinny.

Now the good news is that in most people the population of bacteria in the small intestine is kept low by a number of factors including: 1) Hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach kills any incoming bugs, 2) Migrating motor complex/Housekeeper wave sweeps/propels bacteria from the small intestine on a frequent basis, 3) Good digestion and absorption in the upper part of the small intestine leaves little food for the bacteria, and 4)bile acids and pancreatic juices exert an antibiotic effect on bacteria in the small intestine. Unfortunately, small intestine bacterial overgrowth is commonly seen in R&Y Gastric Bypass patients as a result of the decreased stomach acid production and the mild malabsorption that results from this procedure. This increase in small bowel bacteria may contribute to digestive disturbances (gas and bloating) and may make it difficult for gastric bypass patients to lose as much weight as they potentially could have if the bacteria weren’t growing where it shouldn’t.

Now, if you are a gastric bypass patient then I don’t want you to fret over this news! Recent research has shown that simply taking a good probiotic supplement can potentially eradicate bacteria in the small intestine and possibly lead to a greater percentage of excess body weight lost after bypass surgery. A study reported in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery compared the percentage of excess body weight lost in gastric bypass patients who took a probiotic (good bacteria) supplement daily after surgery vs. gastric bypass patients who did not receive a probiotic supplement (control group). To their surprise the researchers found that bypass patients who took the supplement lost 47.6% of their excess weight at 3 months as compared to 38.5% excess weight loss in the control group. At 6 months the probiotic group had lost 67.5% of their excess weight and the control group had lost 60% of their excess weight (while not statistically significant this is still a big difference). Further, the probiotic group had higher levels of B12 in their serum, which is important because B12 deficiency is common in gastric bypass patients.

So, what does the mean to you? Clearly, this research study had some limitations such as: Lack of a placebo group, small subject size and multiple uncontrollable variables such as exercise and diet consistency. Therefore, more research needs to be done in this area to establish a direct link between probiotic supplementation and percentage of excess body weight loss in bypass patients. That being said, I feel that a probiotic supplement is safe and it may potentially help you lose more weight and enjoy better digestion and vitamin B12 levels after surgery. If I were you I would take probiotic supplement daily as it can’t hurt and it may help. A good one is the new Bariatric Advantage probiotic. You can find it by following this link: http://bariatricadvantage.com/service/referrerCode?referrer=BA305364

In Good Health,

Kyle Rose RD,LD

Bariatric Solutions

www.mybariatricsolutions.com