Several reports suggest that bariatric surgery significantly improves cardiac function in patients with obesity cardiomyopathy. The mechanism is unknown but may be due to weight-loss independent factors. We predict that the changes in gastrointestinal anatomy after a rodent model of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) will have weight-loss independent effects on cardiac dysfunction. Cardiac dysfunction was induced by feeding a 60%kcal from fat diet to male Wistar rats for 10weeks. Rats underwent either a SG (n=12) or pair-fed, PF (n=8) sham surgery. Echocardiograms were performed pre- and post-operatively at 6 and 13weeks. Blood samples were obtained at 10weeks post-operatively for assessment of insulin sensitivity and heart failure. Forty-four percent of SG rats had a normal ejection fraction (EF) at 13weeks ("responders") compared to five SG rats who did not recover EF ("non-responders"). Zero percent of the PF rats normalized EF (p=0.03). SG responders had a smaller left ventricular internal diameter in systole and end systolic volume with improved systolic function compared to SG non-responders (EF 90.7±1.7 vs. 75.4±3.6%, p=<0.001). At 10weeks post-operatively, plasma glucose and B-type natriuretic peptide levels were significantly lower in SG rats compared to PF rats. A SG significantly improved systolic function in 44% of rats with diet-induced obesity and cardiac dysfunction. This improvement is related to weight-loss independent effects of the surgery on the entero-cardiac axis. These results offer a novel weight-loss independent, metabolic role for bariatric surgery as a potential treatment modality for obesity-associated cardiac dysfunction.