Lean Mass Loss and Altered Muscular Aerobic Capacity after Bariatric Surgery

Patients undergoing weight loss surgery do not improve their aerobic capacity or peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) after bariatric surgery and some still complain about asthenia and/or breathlessness. We investigated the hypothesis that a post-surgery muscular limitation could impact the ventilatory response to exercise by evaluating the post-surgery changes in muscle mass, strength, and muscular aerobic capacity, measured by the first ventilatory threshold (VT).

Thirteen patients with obesity were referred to our university exercise laboratory before and 6 months after bariatric surgery and were matched by sex, age, and height to healthy subjects with normal weight. All subjects underwent a clinical examination, blood sampling, and body composition assessment by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, respiratory and limb muscle strength assessments, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a cyclo-ergometer.

Bariatric surgery resulted in a loss of 34% fat mass, 43% visceral adipose tissue, and 12% lean mass (LM) (p < 0.001). Absolute handgrip, quadriceps, or respiratory muscle strength remained unaffected, while quadriceps/handgrip strength relative to LM increased (p < 0.05). Absolute VO2peak or VO2peak/LM did not improve and the first VT was decreased after surgery (1.4 ± 0.3 vs. 1.1 ± 0.4 L min-1, p < 0.05) and correlated to the exercising LM (LM legs) (R = 0.84, p < 0.001).

Although bariatric surgery has numerous beneficial effects, absolute VO2peak does not improve and the weight loss-induced LM reduction is associated to an altered muscular aerobic capacity, as reflected by an early VT triggering early exercise hyperventilation.