Before surgery, you may have enjoyed a drink or two after a long day at work or during an evening out with friends. Unfortunately, these habits will have to change after your surgery. So what do you need to know about alcohol consumption after bariatric surgery?
Key takeaways
- After surgery you cannot eat while drinking, so alcohol is absorbed faster.
- A sleeve or bypass alters the enzymes that metabolise alcohol, making you more sensitive to its effects.
- Alcohol can inhibit the absorption of vitamins, especially B vitamins such as thiamin and B12.
- Approximately 14% of gastric bypass patients increase their alcohol consumption after surgery.
Why drinking habits need to change
There are a few reasons why this change is necessary. The first is the simplest. If you drink, you know never to drink on an empty stomach. At the same time, one of the biggest rules after bariatric surgery is that you cannot eat while drinking. If there is nothing in the stomach to absorb the alcohol, it is absorbed even faster and you feel the effects sooner. This guide explains the increased effects of alcohol after bariatric surgery.
How surgery affects alcohol absorption
Let's look at the changes to anatomy that occur during surgery and how they affect alcohol sensitivity and absorption. When alcohol enters the stomach of someone with normal gut anatomy, some of it is metabolised in the stomach by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. When a sleeve or a bypass is performed, these enzymes are altered or bypassed, which slows the metabolism of alcohol while blood alcohol levels rise at a greater rate. This makes post-op patients more sensitive to the effects of alcohol.(1,2)
Alcohol and vitamin absorption
Because of these anatomical changes, it is important for bariatric patients to take specific vitamins at specific doses. Alcohol can inhibit the absorption of vitamins, especially B vitamins. That is why vitamins such as thiamin and B12 are important micronutrients for bariatric patients. It is unwise to knowingly add alcohol to the mix when it can prevent these critical vitamins from being absorbed.
Addiction transfer
It would be wrong not to mention the prevalence of food addiction in patients who have bariatric surgery – an addiction that can very easily be transferred to alcohol. Food addiction can be transferred to other substances as well, but alcohol has a high prevalence. Approximately 14 percent of gastric bypass patients increase their alcohol consumption after surgery.(3)
Please be responsible and abstain as often as possible. If you are concerned about your alcohol use, talk to your bariatric team or GP.
Sources
- West Virginia University School of Medicine. Alcohol Metabolism and Absorption. https://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/alcohol/metabolism.htm
- Buffington CK. A review of alcohol absorption and metabolism in non-surgical and bariatric surgical patients. www.barimd.com, 2005.
- Simansky KJ. NIH symposium series: Ingestive mechanisms in obesity, substance abuse, and mental disorders. Physiol Behav. 2005;86:1–4.
This article is for general information only and does not replace personal medical advice. Always discuss your situation, blood test results and supplementation with your bariatric team or healthcare provider.