The gall bladder secretes bile, which emulsifies fats, and the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes, both into the duodenum. Moreover, the duodenum is the primary site of dietary iron uptake. How might the reconnection of the duodenum aid in digestion? Why do you think iron anemia can become a problem after gastric bypass

- Since the duodenum performs much of the chemical digestion, reconnecting the duodenum could greatly facilitate the digestive process.

- After gastric bypass, where part or all of the duodenum must be "bypassed", the absorption of iron is lower or non-existent, leading to anemia.

Explanation:

How might the reconnection of the duodenum aid in digestion?

The duodenum is the first portion of the small intestine, it follows the stomach and is necessary to perform most of the chemical digestion.

The food in the stomach undergoes a process of degradation, by the effect of gastric movements and the mixture with the stomach acid, becoming chyme.

The more or less homogeneous mass of the chyme passes to the duodenum to be mixed with pancreatic juice - which contains amylases and lipases - and bile salts, useful for emulsifying fats and making them more easily absorbed.

The reconnection of the duodenum makes possible an efficient digestive process, to have nutrients that will be absorbed in other portions of the intestine.

Why do you think iron anemia can become a problem after gastric bypass?

Surgery involving gastric bypass involves the reduction of the stomach and its reconnection to the last portion of the duodenum or the jejunum, which implies a deficiency in the absorption of the iron that occurs in the duodenum.

The iron that is acquired through the diet is necessary for the production of hemoglobin, a molecule within the red blood cells that ensures the transport of oxygen. An iron deficiency leads to iron deficiency anemia.

Since the duodenum is the organ in charge of iron absorption, one of the cons of gastric bypass would be iron deficiency anemia.