# Bypassing the stomach to allow unlimited eating **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018 "2013-12-23T15:48:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/1 "2013-12-23T15:48:20Z")
Apparently cows can have stomach windows and live just fine. Supposing there was a rich person who wanted to eat all the cake and ice cream they desire. So they get a medical procedure to shunt everything from the esophagus into an external bag that they can easily empty. A separate input allows them to insert bad-tasting but healthy and nutritionally complete food and water into the stomach. It’s all medically supervised, of course, by the best that money can buy. The doctors will try to minimize all medical risks like infections, etc. The nutritionalists will plan the best possible input foods. First question: could a rich person do this today? Secondly, what’s the best outcome for this scenario? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/2 "2013-12-23T15:51:18Z")
For your “secondly”: Time magazine will come up with an “Imbecilic Person Of The Year” issue, and a bunch of doctors and nutritionists are mocked and derided for years to come? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/3 "2013-12-23T16:13:12Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > Apparently cows can have stomach windows and live just fine. What’s a stomach window? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/4 "2013-12-23T16:16:38Z")
[Gastric feeding tubes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_tube#Gastrostomy_or_Gastric_feeding_tube) are already used to provide nutrition to long-term incapacitated patients (you may recall the legal battles a few years ago over whether to remove Terry Schiavo’s gastric feeding tube). This sort of device has [potential complications.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_tube#Complications) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/5 "2013-12-23T16:21:59Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > What’s a stomach window? Okay, apparently it’s called a [Cannulated cow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannulated_cow). Or google “cow with stomach window”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/6 "2013-12-23T16:24:17Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > [Gastric feeding tubes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_tube#Gastrostomy_or_Gastric_feeding_tube) are already used to provide nutrition to long-term incapacitated patients (you may recall the legal battles a few years ago over whether to remove Terry Schiavo’s gastric feeding tube). This sort of device has [potential complications.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_tube#Complications) A Gastric feeding tube is designed to be easily reversible by removal of the tube. I would imagine the complications could be minimized via surgical modifications that are more permanent and involve a valve designed to close off the stomach when not in use. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/7 "2013-12-23T17:19:37Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > Apparently cows can have stomach windows and live just fine. > > Supposing there was a rich person who wanted to eat all the cake and ice cream they desire. So they get a medical procedure to shunt everything from the esophagus into an external bag that they can easily empty. > > A separate input allows them to insert bad-tasting but healthy and nutritionally complete food and water into the stomach. > > It’s all medically supervised, of course, by the best that money can buy. The doctors will try to minimize all medical risks like infections, etc. The nutritionalists will plan the best possible input foods. > > First question: could a rich person do this today? > > Secondly, what’s the best outcome for this scenario? Remember that much of the pleasure we get from food is feeling full and satisfied. Your idea to shunt everything from the esophagus into an external bag is no different than chewing up tasty food and spitting it out. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/8 "2013-12-23T17:23:49Z")
In the 19th Century [Alexis St. Martin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_St._Martin) lived over a half century with a permanent gastric fistula, that is, a hole from the interior of his stomach to the exterior of his skin, thanks to a gunshot wound. So it’s certainly possible to live long-term with such a hole in your side. It should be pointed out that St. Martin was a very healthy, fit sort of man for his time and presumably had a fully functional immune system. This is in contrast to the sorts of people who get feeding tubes these days who are either victims of severe trauma or the frail elderly. I’m sure those are factors that affect long term outcomes. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/9 "2013-12-23T17:24:50Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Remember that much of the pleasure we get from food is feeling full and satisfied. Your idea to shunt everything from the esophagus into an external bag is no different than chewing up tasty food and spitting it out. Well… yes it is different, in that you could fill up the stomach to get that satisfied feeling then empty it into the external bag before it moves on to the rest of the digestive system. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/10 "2013-12-23T17:33:10Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well… yes it is different, in that you could fill up the stomach to get that satisfied feeling then empty it into the external bag before it moves on to the rest of the digestive system. Read the OP. The procedure would shunt food from esophagus to bag. Regardless, what you describe is no different than bulemia (minus the effects of stomach acid on the esophagus and teeth). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/11 "2013-12-23T18:31:44Z")
I’m flexible regarding where the shunt occurs. If we’re doing surgical body modification, we should do what makes sense. Maybe the right thing is to shrink the stomach in addition to the bypass. Then, a small amount of healthy food could be inserted into the stomach to achieve a feeling of satiation, when that is desired. Note: sometimes you don’t want to be satiated quite just yet. This gives the person a degree of control over that. Maybe you feel like consuming mass quantities of delicious foods. Maybe you are attending a feast. Or maybe you want to win a food competition / challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/12 "2013-12-23T18:34:36Z")
Speaking as someone who lived for six months on “food” - more like baby formula - piped into my intestine through a tube, I would suggest that it wasn’t as much fun as you’d think. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/13 "2013-12-23T22:22:56Z")
Gastric tubes - the insertion of which is a relatively minor procedure - are sometimes used to drain stomach contents via a vacuum hook-up and a collection container. In theory it would be trivial to accomplish. Eat \> Drain \> Repeat. The above comparison to bulimia is apt, though; not a healthy way to go. But the biggest challenge would be finding a surgeon who would do it. Because you wouldn’t. mmm ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/14 "2013-12-23T22:57:39Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > I’m flexible regarding where the shunt occurs. If we’re doing surgical body modification, we should do what makes sense. > > Maybe the right thing is to shrink the stomach in addition to the bypass. Then, a small amount of healthy food could be inserted into the stomach to achieve a feeling of satiation, when that is desired. > > Note: sometimes you don’t want to be satiated quite just yet. This gives the person a degree of control over that. Maybe you feel like consuming mass quantities of delicious foods. Maybe you are attending a feast. Or maybe you want to win a food competition / challenge. I think laxatives would accomplish your goal with less complications. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/15 "2013-12-24T02:30:43Z")
I’m thinking pumping the stomach or abusing laxatives might cause bodily discomfort. Also, you need to be careful of what is absorbed into your body to ensure the right stuff is digested and the wrong stuff is not (even if the wrong stuff doesn’t stay in for long). The OP scenario would be pretty hard to mess up. You could binge on junk food, even potentially toxic or poisonous food. You don’t absorb it. No problem if you’re lactose intolerant, have food allergies or if your lower half reacts badly to spicy foods. Concerned about mess? Design it to be easy to swap out used bags (into the trash) with a fresh, clean, new bag. Have ready-made food cups that are as easy and convenient to insert as a Keurig K-cup. I’m a bit surprised by the backlash – I think it’s a cool idea and rather cyborg-y. It’s the trendy intersection between fad diets and body modification. If you like tattoos and piercings and gluten-free and vegan diets, it could not be easier to do. Just select an appropriate food cup. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/16 "2013-12-24T04:25:47Z")
I read the OP hed completely differently. This is allowably non-hijack, I think: I, like Lucullus, or somebody, would love to eat the best and pig out for the sheer pleasure of it for as long as I wanted, an still have my stomach and nutrition cared for in a different loop. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/17 "2013-12-24T04:29:14Z")
Sorry, missed last post… ---
**Author:** ![kaltkalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@kaltkalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaltkalt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/18 "2013-12-24T14:27:51Z")
I’ve always wanted this… a switch i can flip to redirect the food i swallow away from my stomach out to an external bag. I’ve always wondered if I’d get sick of eating something I really like since I’d never get full. Are there still diminishing marginal returns when you don’t get full? Would each bite of cheesecake be as enjoyable as the last? ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/19 "2013-12-24T14:50:38Z")
You are aware, that a cow, unlike we humans, has 4 compartments in their stomach. Those gastric bags are really disgusting, try eating next to someone with one, it’s not really a pleasant experience. It’s like someone having a shit right next to you, while you eat. Sure it does not smell, but the noise and that bulge. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018/20 "2013-12-24T15:52:40Z")
Username/post combo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bypassing-the-stomach-to-allow-unlimited-eating/677018.md?page=2)