Bariatric surgery and long-term nutritional issues

Bariatric surgery is recognized as a highly effective therapy for obesity since it accomplishes sustained weight loss, reduction of obesity-related comorbidities and mortality, and improvement of quality of life. Overall, bariatric surgery is associated with a 42% reduction of the cardiovascular risk and 30% reduction of all-cause mortality. This review focuses on some nutritional consequences that can occur in bariatric patients that could potentially hinder the clinical benefits of this therapeutic option. All bariatric procedures, to variable degrees, alter the anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal tract; this alteration makes these patients more susceptible to developing nutritional complications, namely, deficiencies of macro-and micro-nutrients, which could lead to disabling diseases such as anemia, osteoporosis, protein malnutrition. Of note is the evidence that most obese patients present a number of nutritional deficits already prior to surgery, the most important being vitamin D and iron deficiencies. This finding prompts the need for a complete nutritional assessment and, eventually, an adequate correction of pre-existing deficits before surgery. Another critical issue that follows bariatric surgery is post-operative weight regain, which is commonly associated with the relapse of obesity-related comorbidities. Nu-tritional complications associated with bariatric surgery can be prevented by life-long nutritional monitoring with the administration of multivitamins and mineral supplements according to the patient's needs.

Omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) has been recognized as a major health burden.It is the most important cause of chronic liver disease and a major independent cardiovascular risk factor.Lacking a definite treatment for NAFLD,a specific diet and an increase in physical activity represent the most commonly used therapeutic approaches.In this review,major literature data about the use of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids(n-3 PUFAs) as a potential treatment of NAFLD have been described.n-3 PUFAs,besides having a beneficial impact on most of the cardio-metabolic risk factors(hypertension,hyperlipidemia,endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis) by regulating gene transcription factors [i.e.,peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR),PPAR,sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1,carbohydrate responsive element-binding protein],impacts both lipid metabolism and on insulin sensitivity.In addition to an enhancement of hepatic beta oxidation and a decrease of the endogenous lipid production,n-3 PUFAs are able to determine a significant reduction of the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules(tumor necrosis factor-and interleukin-6) and of oxygen reactive species.Further strengthening the results of the in vitro studies,both animal models and human intervention trials,showed a beneficial effect of n-3 PUFAs on the severity of NAFLD as expressed by laboratory parameters and imaging measurements.Despite available results provided encouraging data about the efficacy of n-3 PUFAs as a treatment of NAFLD in humans,welldesigned randomized controlled trials of adequate size and duration,with histological endpoints,are needed to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of PUFA,as well as other therapies,for the treatment of NAFLD and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis patients.It is worthwhile to consider that n-3 PUFAs cannot be synthesized by the human body and must be derived from exogenous sources(fish oil,flaxseeds,olive oil) which are typical foods of the Mediterranean diet,known for its beneficial effects in preventing obesity,diabetes and,in turn,cardiovascular events.According to these data,it is important to consider that most of the beneficial effects of n-3 PUFAs can also be obtained by an equilibrate nutrition program.

Bariatric surgery and diabetes remission: Sleeve gastrectomy or mini-gastric bypass?

AIM:To investigate the weight loss and glycemic control status[blood glucose,hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c)and hypoglycaemic treatment].METHODS:The primary risk factor for type 2 diabetes is obesity,and 90%of all patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.Although a remarkable effect of bariatric surgery is the profound and durable resolution of type 2 diabetes clinical manifestations,little is known about the difference among various weight loss surgical procedures on diabetes remission.Data from patients referred during a 3-year period(from January2009 to December 2011)to the University of Naples"FedericoⅡ"diagnosed with obesity and diabetes were retrieved from a prospective database.The patients were split into two groups according to the surgical intervention performed[sleeve gastrectomy(SG)and mini-gastric bypass(MGB)].Weight loss and glycemic control status(blood glucose,HbA1c and hypoglycaemic treatment)were evaluated.RESULTS:A total of 53 subjects who underwent sleeve gastrectomy or mini-gastric bypass for obesity and diabetes were screened for the inclusion in this study.Of these,4 subjects were excluded because of surgical complications,7 subjects were omitted because young surgeons conducted the operations and 11 subjects were removed because of the lack of follow-up.Thirtyone obese patients were recruited for this study.A total of 15 subjects underwent SG(48.4%),and 16underwent MGB(51.6%).After adjusting for various clinical and demographic characteristics in a multivariate logistic regression analysis,high hemoglobin A1c was determined to be a negative predictor of diabetes remission at 12 mo(OR=0.366,95%CI:0.152-0.884).Using the same regression model,MGB showed a clear trend toward higher diabetes remission rates relative to SG(OR=3.780,95%CI:0.961-14.872).CONCLUSION:Although our results are encouraging regarding the effectiveness of mini-gastric bypass on diabetes remission,further studies are needed to provide definitive conclusions in selecting the ideal procedure for diabetes remission.