How alcohol affects people after weight-loss (bariatric) surgery
Official title: Pharmacokinetics and Responses to Alcohol After Bariatric Surgery
Funded at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11163294 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how people's bodies process alcohol and how alcohol makes them feel after sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Champaign, United States) |
| Project start | April 10, 2016 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $358,293 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA024103-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163294 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults who have had sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and who drink alcohol or are willing to drink small, supervised amounts for testing.
✕Less likely to help
People who have never had bariatric surgery, minors, or those who do not drink alcohol are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You would join a team that enrolls adults who have had sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and gives controlled amounts of alcohol while taking repeated blood samples. The researchers will measure peak blood alcohol levels, how quickly alcohol is cleared, and ask how intoxicated you feel. They will also compare drinking with and without a meal to see if food still reduces alcohol absorption after surgery. The approach is meant to explain why these surgeries raise the risk of alcohol problems and to guide safer drinking advice.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could give people who had bariatric surgery clearer, evidence-based guidance to lower their risk of alcohol-related harm and addiction.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies, including the team's earlier NIH-funded work, have already shown SG and RYGB can double peak blood alcohol levels and increase alcohol sensitivity, so this builds on established findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pepino de Gruev, Marta Yanina — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Study coordinator: Pepino de Gruev, Marta Yanina
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.