Alteration in the gut microbiome is associated with changes in bone metabolism after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), the most common bariatric surgical procedure, leads to durable weight loss and improves obesity-related comorbidities. However, it induces abnormalities in bone metabolism. One unexplored potential contributor is the gut microbiome, which influences bone metabolism and is altered after surgery. We characterized the relationship between the gut microbiome and skeletal health in severe obesity and after LSG. In a prospective cohort study, 23 adults with severe obesity underwent skeletal health assessment and stool collection preoperatively and 6 mo after LSG. Gut microbial diversity and composition were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and fecal concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were measured with LC-MS/MS. Spearman's correlations and PERMANOVA analyses were applied to assess relationships between the gut microbiome and bone health measures including serum bone turnover markers (C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen [CTx] and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide [P1NP]), areal BMD, intestinal calcium absorption, and calciotropic hormones. Six months after LSG, CTx and P1NP increased (by median 188% and 61%, P < .01) and femoral neck BMD decreased (mean -3.3%, P < .01). Concurrently, there was a decrease in relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes. Although there were no change in overall microbial diversity or fecal SCFA concentrations after LSG, those with greater within-subject change in gut community microbial composition (β-diversity) postoperatively had greater increases in P1NP level (ρ = 0.48, P = .02) and greater bone loss at the femoral neck (ρ = -0.43, P = .04). In addition, within-participant shifts in microbial richness/evenness (α-diversity) were associated with changes in IGF-1 levels (ρ = 0.56, P < .01). The lower the postoperative fecal butyrate concentration, the lower the IGF-1 level (ρ = 0.43, P = .04). Meanwhile, the larger the decrease in butyrate concentration, the higher the postoperative CTx (ρ = -0.43, P = .04). These findings suggest that LSG-induced gut microbiome alteration may influence skeletal outcomes postoperatively, and microbial influences on butyrate formation and IGF-1 are possible mechanisms.