Patients who undergo
obesity surgery may find themselves getting drunk faster and taking longer to sober up, researchers have found.
A study by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine was prompted by reports from
gastric bypass patients that they had become more sensitive to alcohol since their obesity surgery.
Dr John Morton, assistant professor of surgery and senior study author, commented: "I've heard the anecdotes of a patient who will drink one glass of wine and get a DUI, but I wanted to know if there is really a difference before and after surgery. It's an important question for patients."
Publishing their findings in the official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, SOARD (Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases), the researchers reveal that gastric bypass patients who were given five ounces of red wine reached a breath-alcohol peak of 0.08 per cent, compared to 0.05 per cent in a control group.
The obesity surgery patients also took an average of 108 minutes to return to zero, compared to 72 minutes for those in the control group.
Dr Morton advised: "Patients have to be careful with alcohol. They'll become tipsy a lot easier. Please don't ever drive after drinking. Also, they need to know the potential for weight gain from alcohol."
Obesity news : 15/06/2007
