Changes in Plasma Metabolomic Profile Following Bariatric Surgery, Lifestyle Intervention or Diet Restriction-Insights from Human and Rat Studies.

Although bariatric surgery is known to change the metabolome, it is unclear if this is specific for the intervention or a consequence of the induced bodyweight loss. As the weight loss after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) can hardly be mimicked with an evenly effective diet in , translational research efforts might be helpful. A group of 188 plasma metabolites of 46 patients from the randomized controlled Würzburg Adipositas Study (WAS) and from RYGB-treated ( = 6) as well as body-weight-matched controls ( = 7) were measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. WAS participants were randomized into intensive lifestyle modification (LS, = 24) or RYGB (OP, = 22). In patients in the WAS cohort, only bariatric surgery achieved a sustained weight loss (BMI -34.3% (OP) vs. -1.2% (LS), ≤ 0.01). An explicit shift in the metabolomic profile was found in 57 metabolites in the cohort and in 62 metabolites in the rodent model. Significantly higher levels of sphingolipids and lecithins were detected in both surgical groups but not in the conservatively treated and animal groups. RYGB leads to a characteristic metabolomic profile, which differs distinctly from that following non-surgical intervention. Analysis of the and data revealed that RYGB induces specific changes in the metabolome independent of weight loss.