The effects of intragastric balloons on metabolic and inflammatory parameters in obese patients

The prevalence of obesity worldwide has rapidly increased. One of the methods for treating obesity is endoscopic intragastric balloon (IGB) implantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of carbohydrate homeostasis and select cytokines in obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 40 kg/m².

We analysed 68 obese subjects who underwent IGB. There were 19 females and 49 males in the study, their ages ranged from 23-65 years, their weights were 169.04 ± 33 kg, and their BMIs were 54.81 ± 7.8 kg/m². We measured carbohydrate parameters, including glucose, insulin and Homeostatic Model Assessment - Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), and cytokines, such as growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), human zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (ZAGa2), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and tumour necrosis factor weak inducer of apoptosis (TNFSF12/TWEAK). All parameters were measured before and at 6 months after the IGB was removed.

Anthropometric parameters and carbohydrate homeostasis significantly changed 6 months after IGB implantation. We found significant decreases in body weight (p < 0.0001), BMI (p < 0.0001), glucose levels (p < 0.0001), insulin concentration (p < 0.0001), and HOMA-IR (p < 0.0001), regardless of sex. After 6 months, GDF15 (p < 0.0001), ZAGa2 (p < 0.0001) and TNFα (p < 0.0001) levels decreased. In contrast, the TNFSF12/TWEAK concentration increased (p < 0.0001). There was no difference between women and men in any of the parameters.

The results of this study indicate that IGB-induced weight loss leads to the normalization of metabolic parameters and inflammatory cytokines in obese individuals, regardless of sex.