 There is also a population of patients undergoing oesophagectomy for malignant or pre-malignant conditions of the oesophagus, who receive post-operative nutrition through a feeding tube sited through the abdominal wall and entering the jejunum approximately 1 metre from its origin. This group of patients suffer similar metabolic changes to those undergoing gastrectomy, and provide a unique opportunity to study the differential response to nutrients administered orally or more distally. This could elucidate the role of any proximal gut hormones in glucose homeostasis. 