Gastric sleeve and its efficacy against fatty liver

A condition called fatty liver

It is currently estimated that about 25% of the global population suffers from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and one of the most common causes of this condition is obesity. As its name implies, the excessive accumulation of fat within the liver is the main characteristic of this disease, which is also usually accompanied by insulin resistance, increased cholesterol, and hypertension. Therefore, the rise of this condition in the population has caused alarm among the medical community and health associations worldwide.

One of the most common ways fatty liver can be diagnosed is through a blood test that shows the concentrations of liver enzymes in the blood. In many cases, this disease can lead to hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis, which prevents the liver from functioning properly.

Fortunately, it has been discovered that gastric sleeve surgery is truly effective in reducing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The reduction of the disease can begin to be observed in just 5 weeks after surgery, and its almost complete elimination a year later.

A gastric sleeve surgery consists, briefly, in the resection of a part of the patient's stomach—around 70 to 80 percent—in order to reduce its capacity. Once that portion of the stomach is removed, the remaining stomach is left in the shape of a sleeve, which is where the name of this surgical procedure comes from.

The benefits of the gastric sleeve against fatty liver

Because the main treatment for this condition is weight loss, the gastric sleeve, due to its simplicity and low risk, is an excellent option to achieve this goal if the patient has metabolic issues or is unable to achieve this weight loss through other means.

This bariatric surgery technique has several benefits that patients can begin to notice shortly after it is performed:

• Considerable decrease in appetite: Because this procedure decreases the presence of the ghrelin hormone, the patient will feel less appetite, as this hormone is responsible for increasing hunger.

• Rapid weight loss: By significantly reducing the stomach, rapid satiety will be favored when consuming food, which will cause much faster weight loss than with other methods.

• Nutrient absorption is not usually affected: Gastric sleeve surgery is not a malabsorptive technique, so the patient will not have to worry about their nutrient absorption; only basic vitamin and mineral supplements are taken.

• Allows greater blood pressure control: A study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic Florida revealed that after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, 44% of participating patients stopped suffering from arterial hypertension.

As stated in an article on the Sochob website, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that in a group of patients, 5 weeks after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, average liver fat decreased by 13%, which is truly encouraging for those suffering from this disease.

This type of surgical procedure must be performed by specialized gastric sleeve surgeons like Dr. Luis Zavala, whose years of experience allow him to perform bariatric surgeries that improve the patients' quality of life.