Endotoxin and Intestinal Flora Before and After Gastric Bypass or Banding in Diabetics

This research project is designed to investigate endotoxin (a toxin present in the wall of certain kinds of bacteria) levels and the type of bacteria present in the intestine before and after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or gastric banding surgery in patients that meet the classification for morbid obesity (body mass index >40 kg/m2) and type 2 diabetes. It is known that the type of bacteria present in the intestines of normal weight and obese individuals are different, and it is also known that people with obesity and type 2 diabetes have higher levels of endotoxin. It has been shown that the bacteria change over the long run after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, but the short-term effects are not known and the endotoxin levels after this procedure have never been studied.