Bariatric surgery in obesity: changes of glucose and lipid metabolism correlate with changes of fat mass

Background and Aim: Bariatric surgery induces significant weight loss and improves glucose metabolism in obese patients (BMI > 35 kg/m2). Our aim was to compare restrictive (LAGB, laparoscopic gastric banding) and malabsorptive approaches (BIBP, biliary-intestinal bypass) on the loss of fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), and on changes of glucose and lipid metabolism. Methods and Results: Body composition (bio-impedance analysis, BIA), blood glucose (BG), insulin, triglycerides, total- and HDL-cholesterol, liver enzymes (AST and ALT) were measured at baseline and 1 year after surgery in patients undergoing LAGB, BIBP, and in diet-treated control patients. In the main study, with patients matched for initial BMI (43-55 kg/m2, LAGB = 24, BIBP = 12, controls = 6), decreases of BMI, FM, BG and cholesterol were greater in patients with BIBP than with LAGB (p < 0.01), while decreases of FFM, insulin, HOMA-IR and triglycerides were similar. No effects on BMI, FM, FFM, BG, insulin, HOMA-IR or cholesterol were observed in the control patients. Decreases of BG, insulin, HOMA-IR, cholesterol and triglycerides correlated with FM but not with FFM decrease. Similar results were obtained in an additional study in patients with a different initial BMI (LAGB = 25, BIBP = 6, controls = 24) and when considering all subjects together. A decrease of liver enzymes (ALT) was greater with LAGB than with BIBP, and HDL-cholesterol increased with LAGB and decreased with BIBP. Conclusion: BMI, FM, BG and cholesterol decrease more with malabsorptive than with restrictive surgery, while FFM, insulin, HOMA-IR and triglycerides decrease in a similar way. FFM loss is of low entity. Changes of glucose and lipid metabolism are proportional to a decrease of fat mass but not of fat-free mass.