One Year Follow-Up of Taste-Related Reward Associations with Weight Loss Suggests a Critical Time to Mitigate Weight Regain Following Bariatric Surgery.

Kimberly R Smith,Civonnia Harris,Kimberley E Steele,Vidyulata Kamath,Afroditi Papantoni,Susan Carnell,Anahys Aghababian,Maria G Veldhuizen,Timothy H Moran

doi:10.3390/nu13113943

Kimberly R Smith, Civonnia Harris + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13113943

Copy DOI

Abstract

Background: Weight regain is a concerning issue in bariatric patients. We previously demonstrated that taste-related reward processing was associated with six-month weight loss outcomes following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) but not vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). Here, we assessed whether these taste factors persisted in predicting weight loss, and weight regain, at one year post-surgery. Methods: Adult women enrolled in a longitudinal study of taste preferences following bariatric surgery completed behavioral and neuroimaging assessments at one year post-surgery. Results: RYGB produced better weight loss relative to VSG, with weight regain and greater weight loss variability observed from six months to one year post-VSG. Changes in liking for high fat at 2 weeks post-surgery from baseline remained a predictor of weight loss in RYGB, but other predictors did not persist. Average liking ratings rebounded to baseline and higher self-reported food cravings and dietary disinhibition correlated with poorer weight loss at one year post-surgery. Conclusion: Initial anatomical and metabolic changes resulting from RYGB that reset neural processing of reward stimuli in the mesolimbic pathway appear to be temporary and may be contingent upon post-operative eating behaviors returning to preoperative obesogenic tendencies. Six months post-surgery may be a critical window for implementing interventions to mitigate weight gain.

Highlights

Data from bariatric patients suggest two phases of weight loss following bariatric surgery—the dynamic weight loss phase and the weight maintenance phase
While both Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) surgeries resulted in significant %TWL from baseline, patients who received RYGB (n = 23) had greater %TWL at one year following surgery compared with VSG (n = 25) (t(46) = 2.881, p = 0.006; Figure 1A)
We previously showed preoperative BOLD responses in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the high fat, high sugar, and preoperative preferred mixtures to be negatively correlated with %TWL at six months following RYGB but not VSG [1]

Summary

Introduction

Data from bariatric patients suggest two phases of weight loss following bariatric surgery—the dynamic weight loss phase and the weight maintenance phase. During the weight maintenance phase, rate of weight loss slows and a nadir is typically reached within 2 years of surgery [2] followed by an increase in risk for weight regain. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) are the two most commonly performed bariatric procedures for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related comorbidities [7]. While both surgeries result in sustained weight loss relative to baseline body weight, RYGB has been shown to be effective in producing more rapid and greater weight loss compared with VSG [1]. Preoperative liking ratings of sucrose-sweetened taste mixtures were positively associated with greater percent total weight loss (%TWL) in RYGB, but not VSG, and patients receiving

Results

Discussion

Conclusion