Weight Loss in Toronto: Gastric Bypass Surgery vs Sleeve Surgery

At MyLife Bariatrics in Toronto, gastric bypass surgery vs sleeve surgery is a common question we are often asked. In the out-of-hospital boutique setting offered at MyLife Bariatrics, we offer sleeve surgery as the sole option - but is it the best option for you? Let us help you navigate this sometimes challenging question.

If you are looking at surgical weight loss options, chances are you have come across the terms gastric bypass surgery and sleeve surgery. But what are they exactly? Both are weight loss surgeries that help patients lose weight by first reducing the amount of food the body can consume or absorb. Even more though, both these operations impact key hunger and satiety (sensation of being full) related hormones that help improve your health and decrease weight. Although these similarities exist, there remain key differences.
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Gastric Bypass Surgery & Sleeve Surgery: What Are They?
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Gastric bypass surgery and sleeve surgery are both forms of bariatric surgery that reduce a patient's stomach size to a small pouch or the size of a long tube, respectively. This process stimulates weight loss in two ways:
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Your body produces less hunger hormone, also known as ghrelin (in the case of a sleeve)
Due to its size, the pouch fills up quickly, which limits the amount of food you can eat (in the case of a bypass)

• Your body produces less hunger hormone, also known as ghrelin (in the case of a sleeve)
• Due to its size, the pouch fills up quickly, which limits the amount of food you can eat (in the case of a bypass)

With increased gastric motility as seen in the sleeve, and faster delivery of food to the more downstream bowel in a bypass, both procedures also have been shown to increase satiety related hormones, better known as GLP and GIP, among others. As these hormones rise in the body, they rebalance an individual's food/hunger desires, change the physiology of how key organs process nutrients in the body and ultimately make for a healthier self.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, more commonly referred to as gastric bypass surgery, is a more intense form of bariatric surgery compared to a gastric sleeve. Gastric bypasses are only performed in hospital settings in Canada as they alter your gut anatomy more drastically and carry a higher risk profile associated with these key steps.

During gastric bypass surgery, the surgeon creates a small upper pouch from the existing stomach. He or she then connects this small upper pouch to the small intestine further down in the gut. This “bypasses” a portion of one’s upper intestine which delivers digestive enzymes and “juices” to the food we eat. In a bypass these are delivered further downstream in the gut system.

This new gut construction first results in fewer calories being consumed due to the small pouch size, second, fewer absorbed calories because the small intestine's first section is bypassed and third, leads to stimulation of the downstream small bowel, activating the satiety center in the brain to cause a hormonal response.

The end result in a gastric bypass therefore is: less hunger + fewer absorbed calories, resulting in weight loss and better metabolic health.

Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, known commonly as gastric sleeve surgery, is the most common type of bariatric surgery seen globally due to its relative simplicity and effectiveness.

During gastric sleeve surgery, a surgeon removes roughly 60-80% of one’s stomach and in particular, the area of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone ghrelin. As a result, the stomach becomes much smaller and shaped like a banana.

Due to its reduction in size, the stomach can no longer hold as much food, and a patient feels full much earlier in a meal. This leads to fewer calories consumed and improved metabolism, which in turn leads to weight loss. A reduction in Ghrelin levels helps rebalance a sensor in the brain to reduce the hunger drive. Even more though, and just like we see in a gastric bypass, increased gastric motility in a sleeve can also stimulate GLP, GIP hormones and again improve ones hunger balance center. All of this happens from a procedure that is completed in 45 minutes.

Gastric sleeve surgeries are offered at our clinic in the Greater Toronto Area. Gastric bypass surgery requires more intensive surgery, more complex aftercare and a higher risk profile thereby are only performed in large hospitals in the public healthcare system.

MyLife Bariatrics Toronto: Gastric Bypass Surgery & Sleeve Surgery Experts

The choice between gastric bypass or sleeve surgery is up to you. Reach out to our experts at MyLife Bariatrics for advice. We will be more than happy to help you find the best solution for your weight loss goals and health. If you are better serves by gastric bypass we will recommend you seek care at a public care program. If you prefer a sleeve operation and qualify for same-day out-of-hospital surgery, we will provide you with the exception care we are known for.

Book a consultation with us today or call MyLife Bariatrics at (416) 249-7899. You can also visit us at mylifebariatrics.com and follow us on Instagram or Facebook.