Do Serum Metabolites Predict Weight Regain Following Bariatric Surgery?

Excerpt

The rapid and seemingly inexorable rise of obesity, particularly in developed countries, is a well-recognized threat to human health and longevity [1]. With 39% of the global population overweight and 13% obese, the need for effective treatments represents an urgent healthcare challenge [2]. Bariatric surgery has emerged as the most effective treatment for obesity and its associated metabolic disorders with well-documented long-term durability and effectiveness [3]. Among bariatric procedures, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has long been considered the “gold-standard” procedure against which others are compared [4, 5]. Although according to the literature, the exact burden of weight regain after RYGB varies, 10–20% of patients will have significant pathological weight regain [6]. The reason for this treatment failure is still unclear and is likely to be multifactorial. There currently exists no effective method for identifying or predicting which patients will experience this treatment failure. …