If your excess weight is causing health problems and decreasing your quality of life, you may have considered surgical intervention in order to help you lose weight quickly. Gastric sleeve surgery and gastric bypass surgery are two surgical options that are both effective at producing rapid weight loss, and they both work on the similar principle of reducing the size of your stomach.

During gastric sleeve surgery, the surgeon removes the majority of your stomach, turning your stomach into a small tube that looks like a sleeve. In gastric bypass surgery, the surgeon turns the upper portion of your stomach into a tiny pouch and then connects the pouch to your small intestine. Both surgeries drastically limit the amount of food you're able to eat, which in turn allows for rapid weight loss.

Although both surgeries are effective for weight loss, gastric sleeve surgery has some distinct advantages over gastric bypass. It doesn't alter the way your digestive system works as radically as a gastric bypass, which means that it tends to have fewer unwanted side effects. If you're considering bariatric surgery for weight loss, read on to learn more about the advantages of gastric sleeve surgery compared to a gastric bypass.

Typically Reduces Hunger More Than Gastric Bypass

Your stomach contains a number of cells that produce ghrelin, which is the hormone that makes you feel hungry. The majority of these ghrelin-producing cells are located in the portion of your stomach that's removed during gastric sleeve surgery. After the surgery, the level of ghrelin circulating in your body will be significantly reduced, helping to reduce how hungry you feel. A gastric bypass doesn't remove any portion of your stomach, so it doesn't get rid of these ghrelin-producing cells. As a result, gastric sleeve surgery tends to help you feel less hungry compared to undergoing a gastric bypass.

Doesn't Cause Dumping Syndrome

One feature that's unique to gastric bypass surgery is called "dumping syndrome." The bottom portion of your stomach has a ring of muscle called the pyloric sphincter, and this sphincter closes in order to stop food in your stomach from passing through into your small intestine. Since the tiny pouch created during gastric bypass surgery attaches directly to your small intestine, it also bypasses the pyloric sphincter.

Without anything to slow food down, you may feel extremely ill after eating as a large amount of food enters your small intestine. This is dumping syndrome, and it can cause nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Gastric sleeve surgery, on the other hand, doesn't bypass your pyloric sphincter. Your stomach slows down the release of food as normal, so dumping syndrome won't happen.