Effect of nutritional therapy on body composition and resting energy expenditure post bariatric surgery

Objectives To investigate the effect of nutritional therapy on body composition and resting energy expenditure(REE) post bariatric surgery in patients with obesity. Methods Six-step post-operative nutrition therapy during 3 months was performed for 47 patients undergoing bariatric surgery with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Body composition, REE and nutritonal biochemical indexes were determined in pre-surgery and post-surgery 1, 3 months. Predictive REE was calculated with Bernestin Formula. Repeated ANOVA analysis was done for the changes in the indicators of patients. Results Muscle mass reduced 8.33%±3.49% in post-surgery 1 month, and 2.86%±3.96% in post-surgery 3 months. Fat mass reduced 14.73%±5.44% in post-surgery 1 month and 16.61%±8.26% in post-surgery 3 months. There was no significant difference between REE and predicted REE with (9 339.16±2 620.59) kJ vs. (9 058.06±2 098.61) kJ in pre-surgery, P=0.593; and (7 228.20±2 066.61) kJ vs. (7 973.15±1 747.49) kJ in post-surgery 3 months, P=0.098. However, predicted REE (8 286.81±1 764.25) kJ was significant higher than REE (7 418.33±1 764.25) kJ in post-surgery 1 month, P=0.032. There was no significant difference in levels of vitamin-A, vitamin-B1, vitamin-B2, vitamin-B6, vitamin-C and serum ferritin between pre-surgery and post-surgery 1 month and post-surgery 3 months(P>0.05). A significant reduction of C-reactive protein was present with (9.03±9.42) mg/L in pre-surgery, (6.61±7.89) mg/L in post-surgery 1 month and (4.69±4.66) mg/L in post-surgery 3 months, P=0.020. Conclusions Nutritional therapy after bariatric surgery 3 months could delay the loss of skeletal muscle mass and adapt REE and reduce the inflammation level in patients with obesity.