1 Jul 2021Review
Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in bariatric surgery
Ciprian Cucoreanu 1Andras David 1Osan Sergiu 1Marius Farcas 2Ciuce Constantin 1George-Calin Dindelegan 1
Affiliations
Article Info
1 Department of Surgery, First Surgical Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2 Department of Genetics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hatieganu”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ann. Ital. Chir., 2021, 92(4), 397-405;
Published: 1 Jul 2021
Copyright © 2021 Annali Italiani di Chirurgia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Morbid obesity (BMI>40 kg/m2) is a challenging health condition with an increasing incidence in the last decades. Conventional therapy which consists in diet and lifestyle interventions, along with pharmaceutical therapy, has a limited effect on morbidly obese patients. In this context, bariatric surgery is the most effective approach, leading to significant weight loss, along with other beneficial effects like type 2 diabetes resolution or improvement of cardiovascular status. The bariatric surgery outcomes can widely vary among individuals, with a significant percentage of patients having small benefits from the operation. These variations may be partially explained by the genetic background of each individual. During the last years, several studies have been conducted in order to determine the genetic and epigenetic factors involved in bariatric surgery outcomes. Many genes involved in different molecular pathways were found to be associated with weight loss after bariatric surgery. Epigenetic studies revealed that genes methylation may be influenced by weight loss interventions. All these findings suggest that there is an intimate connection between genetic and epigenetic factors and the bariatric surgery outcomes. Further studies are required in order to better understand if genetics can be used in order to predict the operation results.
Keywords
- Bariatric surgery
- Body-mass index
- Epigenetic
- Genetic