Improving the SF-BARI Score with a Structured Postoperative Exercise Program: A Randomized Trial after Metabolic and...

Obesity is a complex and multifaceted condition that can lead to serious health issues. Bariatric surgery, particularly Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), is highly effective treatment for severe obesity but may often leads to significant skeletal muscle loss, compromising long-term metabolic outcomes. Structured exercise may mitigate these effects, yet its impact on comprehensive surgical success remains underexplored. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the synergistic effects of a 16-week combined exercise program on the SF-BARI score, a holistic composite measure of weight loss and comorbidity remission, in post-RYGB patients.

Thirty-seven patients (mean age 46.9 ± 11.4 years, BMI 42.9 ± 5.14 kg/m²) underwent RYGB and were randomized to a supervised intervention group (IG, n = 19) or control group (CG, n = 17). The IG completed three 55-minute sessions weekly (aerobic and resistance training) starting one month post-surgery for 16 weeks. Outcomes, including anthropometry, percentage total weight loss (%TWL), SF-BARI score (integrating %TWL and remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea), and complications, were assessed at one, five, eleven, and seventeen months post-surgery.

Both groups achieved substantial weight loss (%TWL: IG 37% vs. CG 32.5% at 17 months after surgery and 12 months after exercise program, p = 0.139, d = 0.506), with no between-group differences in BMI or weight. However, the IG showed superior SF-BARI scores at 5 months after surgery and immediately after the exercise program (T0-months: 104 ± 13.8 vs. 92.3 ± 12, p = 0.012, d = 0.883) and 11 months after surgery and 6-months after the exercise program (T6-months: 107 ± 13.2 vs. 96.2 ± 16.8, p = 0.007, d = 0.526), driven by enhanced remission of hypertension (0% vs. 41.2%, p = 0.002) and dyslipidemia (0% vs. 23.5%, p = 0.025) at 17 months. Type 2 diabetes mellitus remission was high in both (> 94%, p = 0.935), and effect sizes indicated large clinical benefits in the short-to-medium term.

A 16-week combined exercise program post-RYGB significantly improves comprehensive outcomes via the SF-BARI score, enhancing metabolic comorbidity resolution beyond weight loss alone. These findings support integrating supervised exercise into postoperative care to optimize surgical outcomes. Sustained interventions may be needed for long-term gains.