Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Bariatric Gastric Bypass Surgery: Effect on Liver Volume, Immune Response and Erythrocyte Function
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2016-11-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Gastric bypass surgery is the gold standard in bariatric surgery and is a successful method
to reduce weight in morbidly obese subjects. Patients qualified for gastric bypass surgery
are routinely pre-treated with a low calorie diet in order to reduce liver volume and to
facilitate the approach of the gastro-oesophageal junction. Pre-treatment with omega-3 fatty
acids has similar effects on liver volume, but a prospective comparison of both treatments
has not been performed yet. Morbidly obese patients respond differently to surgical stress,
due to a number of factors. First, obesity is associated with a low-grade inflammatory state
induced by an increased amount of macrophages in adipose tissue. This state is associated
with higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum and with a less adequate immune
response to infections. Second, obesity is associated with an altered cortisol metabolism
possibly related to adrenal insufficiency. This could play an important role in the altered
response to surgical stress and postoperative complications in obese subjects. Third, obesity
is associated with altered erythrocyte function, including decreased erythrocyte
deformability and increased aggregation, factors contributing to an impaired
microcirculation.
This study has a number of different aims. First, we will compare pre-treatment with the
standard low calorie diet with omega-3 fatty acids on liver volume in patients qualified for
gastric bypass surgery because of morbid obesity. Second, we will investigate the effect of
omega-3 fatty acids on immune function, the low-inflammatory state of adipose tissue, the
stress response of obese subjects before and erythrocyte function. Third, we will investigate
the effect of gastric bypass surgery by comparing values before surgery with values on the
first postoperative day and 6 months after surgery regarding to immunological parameters,
stress response and erythrocyte function.