Changes in bone mass and body composition after bariatric surgery

Aim: To analyze the effects of body weight loss on bone mineral density (BMD) on hip (Hip BMD) and lumbar spine (Lumbar BMD) after six months of bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for morbid obesity. Nonetheless, there are scant data on the effect of weight bearing on bone structure.Material and methods: Seventeen obese women aged 41.2 ± 11.3 yrs. who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) were included. Body composition assessments were performed through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry immediately before and after 6-months RYGB. Data collected pre- and post-RYGB included total body weight, body mass index (BMI), lean body mass (LM), fat mass (FM) and bone mineral content. The pre- (PRE) and post-operative (POST) results were compared.Results: Lumbar BMD POST presented a non-significant loss of 1.8% whereas Hip BMD POST showed a significant loss of 17.8%. The analysis demonstrated that BMI and LM PRE explained 26% and 49%, respectively, of Hip BMD PRE variability. In addition, LM POST explained 30% of hip BMD POST variability and was not significant for Lumbar BMD POST.Conclusions: Obesity and rapid weight loss showed direct influence in Hip BMD after six months of bariatric surgery. However, its effect on the lumbar spine area was smaller due to the higher capacity of the spine to dissipate loads through its curvature.