Full Guideline: Endocrine and Nutritional Management of the Post-Bariatric Surgery Patient: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline
JCEM November 2010
David Heber, Frank L. Greenway, Lee M. Kaplan, Edward Livingston, Javier Salvador, Christopher Still
Objective:
We sought to provide guidelines for the nutritional and endocrine management of adults after bariatric surgery, including those with diabetes mellitus. The focus is on the immediate postoperative period and long-term management to prevent complications, weight regain, and progression of obesity-associated comorbidities. The treatment of specific disorders is only summarized.
Conclusions:
- Bariatric surgery is not a guarantee of successful weight loss and maintenance.
- Increasingly, patients regain weight, especially those undergoing restrictive surgeries such as laparoscopic banding rather than malabsorptive surgeries such as Roux-en-Y bypass.
- Active nutritional patient education and clinical management to prevent and detect nutritional deficiencies are recommended for all patients undergoing bariatric surgery.
- Management of potential nutritional deficiencies is particularly important for patients undergoing malabsorptive procedures, and strategies should be employed to compensate for food intolerance in patients who have had a malabsorptive procedure to reduce the risk for clinically important nutritional deficiencies.
- To enhance the transition to life after bariatric surgery and to prevent weight regain and nutritional complications, all patients should receive care from a multidisciplinary team including an experienced primary care physician, endocrinologist, or gastroenterologist and consider enrolling postoperatively in a comprehensive program for nutrition and lifestyle management.
- Future research should address the effectiveness of intensive postoperative nutritional and endocrine care in reducing morbidity and mortality from obesity-associated chronic diseases.
Read the Full Guideline