Question:
Is cholesteral still a problem with high malabsorption procedures such as distal?

I've wondered about procedures that restrict absorption of fats and sugars....wouldn't high intake of these foods still promote heart disease or diabetes? Some people say they can (and do) eat whatever they want and still lose. I still feel that a diet high in fats and sugar would be less than healthy even if the weight gain issue is taken away? This isn't to slam any procedure, they all seem miraculous to me. This is just a very real question that I've wondered about for a long time. I have alot of heart disease and diabetes in my family and weight loss in and of itself isn't my only goal. Thanks.    — [Anonymous] (posted on November 22, 2001)

November 22, 2001
Speaking only for myself: my surgery was the DS, which is a distal, malabsorptive procedure. I do not restrict fats or sugars (much to my surgeon's dismay on the sugars, I'm afraid). My cholesterol level was 240 pre-op, dropped to 155 by 6 months, and has remained at that level (as against a recommended normal level of 140-240). My glucose levels have remained stable, although I don't have a pre-op measurement, between 75 - 85 (against a recommended normal range of 70-105). -Kate-
   — kateseidel

November 22, 2001
Eating 3 french fries every once in a while will not high cholesterol. Also my mom has weighed 100 # her whole adult life watches everything she eats never has FAT. Walks 2 miles a day and her level is 300 she is now on meds. sometimes it's heredity rather than diet.
   — [Anonymous]

November 22, 2001
All RNY malabsorb some fats & oils. Almost all of us will end up within normal levels, even with normal fats eaten. A study presented at the ASBS conference this year mentioned that those who ate a normal fat diet got 22% better wt loss than those who did either low or high fats. Low fats tend to be higher in sugars, and there's no getting around the fact that sugars will bring it all back, eventually. For a distal like me, it appears that I absorb 5% OR LESS of any fats & oils I take in. My pre-op cholesterol was 270, in 3 months it was 168 and has remained below 120 for 7 years. That seems to be typical of others in my local support group.
   — vitalady