• Question: Can a human live with out a stomach

    Asked by Hanna to Colin, John, Kevin, Shikha, Triona on 13 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Shikha Sharma

      Shikha Sharma answered on 13 Nov 2014:

      Hi Hanna,
      Yes, its possible to live without stomach. Doctors sometimes do that to save a cancer patient from stomach cancer. The doctors reroute the food pipe to small intestine instead of stomach and widen small intestine in that area to create an artificial stomach. Food comes from mouth and follows the same digestive path as before, except stomach it directly enters into small intestine. Stomach removal means you can’t absorb as much vitamin B12 so patient have to take injections of the vitamin.

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