LAPAROSCOPIC ADJUSTABLE GASTRIC BANDING (LAGB) IMPROVES METABOLIC CONTROL AND MODIFIES NUTRIENT INTAKES IN A GROUP OF ITALIAN FEMALE OBESE PATIENTS

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), the most popular weight loss surgery for morbid obesity, is reported to improveglucose metabolism. On the other hand few studies have reported the LAGB induced modifications of the nutrient intakes. The aim was to investigate the metabolic control and nutrient intake variations in a group of obese patients before and after 5 months of LAGB intervention.Material and methods: Thirteen obese female patients (aged 32–66 yr) were admitted to the study. BMI, waist, blood glucose, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were determined. Dietary habits were recorded by detailed questioning and a computed database determined the nutrient intakes. The recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for the Italian population were used for reference range. The data were recorded immediately before LAGB (T0) and after five months (T1). The data are expressed as 50th (25th, 75th) percentile. Results: The variations of anthropometric, laboratory data, and of the nutrient intakes are shown in the table. BMI and waist decreased without significance. Blood glucose significantly decreased; HOMA was reduced without significance. Most nutrient intakes showed significant differences with RDAs. All but MUFA and -6/ -3 fatty acid intakes decreased after 5 months of LAGB, even though they were still higher than RDA. Nutrients with protective effect (PUFA) significantly decreased and at T1 they were still lower than RDA. Conclusions: LAGB improved metabolic control with a significant decrease of blood glucose, even though HOMA-IR was not significantly reduced in the short period. Protein, especially animal protein, and fat significantly decreased after five months of bariatric treatment, even though they kept higher than RDAs. On the contrary, PUFA formerly below the RDA, showed a further significant reduction. -6/ -3 ratio did not decrease and it was almost twice higher than RDA. These findings show that our obese patients after LAGB insertion reduced all foodstuff portion without improving their dietary habit