Ileum

Nutrients are absorbed through the wall of the ileum.

The operation moves the ileum closer to the pancreas, the organ that makes the insulin we need to process sugar into energy. A digestive hormone in the transposed intestine stimulates the pancreas to secrete more insulin, so diabetics don't need to take it artificially. Ileum transposition also corrects insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetics, according to Erik Wilson, who performs bariatric surgery at the University of Texas Houston.