Edward Mason quotes and articles

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Edward Mason invented the gastric bypass in 1965 and by 1980 began to write prolifically about his preference for a simple stomach stapling surgery called the VBG which does not include an intestinal bypass (like the gastric bypass) because the digestion remains normal. Below are quotes and articles of his concerning this:

"There is a vast amount of medical literature regarding the effect of alterations to the upper digestive tract upon ulcer production. We are leaving the century of ulcer surgery but should not ignore what was learned lest we repeat mistakes of the golden age in stomach research."

"For the vast majority of patients today, there is no operation that will control weight to a "normal" level without introducing risks and side effects that over a lifetime may raise questions about its use for surgical treatment of obesity."

from the article - Surgery for Obesity by Edward E. Mason, MD, PhD 

"Although bypass procedures like Roux-en-Y (gastric bypass) result in substantial weight loss, they also significantly affect the normal digestion process, producing adverse side effects. Bypassing the first part of the intestine interferes with normal absorption of critical nutrients and causes complications related to vitamin and mineral deficiencies such as anemia (iron deficiency) and metabolic bone disease (calcium and vitamin D deficiency)."

"Mason said that since the mid 1990s scientists have learned a great deal about the biochemical mechanisms that influence food intake and weight."

" I would like to see greater use of simple restriction procedures that do not rearrange these finely balanced mechanisms," Mason added.


UI pioneer of obesity surgery publishes overview: News: UI Health Care

Dr Mason - research study on boss loss in obesity surgery