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. 2022 Aug 31;14(17):3609.
doi: 10.3390/nu14173609.

Do Lifestyle Interventions before Gastric Bypass Prevent Weight Regain after Surgery? A Five-Year Longitudinal Study

Salvatore Vaccaro  1   2 , Leila Itani  3 , Francesca Scazzina  2 , Stefano Bonilauri  4 , Concetto Maria Cartelli  4 , Marwan El Ghoch  3 , Massimo Pellegrini  5
Affiliations

Do Lifestyle Interventions before Gastric Bypass Prevent Weight Regain after Surgery? A Five-Year Longitudinal Study

Salvatore Vaccaro et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

It is unclear whether weight loss (WL) achieved by means of lifestyle interventions (LSIs) before bariatric surgery (BS) can improve long-term WL outcomes after surgery. We aimed to assess the impact of a structured LSI on WL% after gastric bypass (GBP). Two groups of patients were selected from a large cohort of participants with obesity who underwent GBP surgery at Santa Maria Nuova Hospital (Reggio Emilia, Italy). The groups were categorized as those who have or have not received LSI prior to GBP. The LSI group included 91 participants (cases) compared to 123 participants (controls) in the non-LSI group. WL% was measured at follow-up times of 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months. The LSI group achieved a clinically significant WL% (-7.5%) before BS, and at the time of surgery, the two groups had similar body weights and demographic statuses. At all points, until the 24-month follow-up, the two groups displayed similar WLs%. With regard to the longer follow-ups, the LSI group maintained weight loss until the last timepoint (60 months), whereas the non-LSI group experienced weight regain at 36, 48, and 60 months. In a real-world context, a structured behavioral LSI prior to GBP seems to prevent longer-term weight regain.

Keywords: bariatric surgery; lifestyle modification; obesity treatment; weight loss maintenance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change in WL% over time in the LSI and Non-LSI groups. * Significant at p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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