Edited and Reviewed by: Katherine Samaras, St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, Australia
*Correspondence: Alpana P. Shukla,
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Bariatric surgery is one of the most effective interventions for treating obesity and weight-related complications. Since the early days of bariatric surgery, several innovations in surgical technique and periprocedural management have improved overall outcomes and reduced the risk of short and long-term complications. Bariatric surgery continues to be the treatment of choice for many patients with medically complicated obesity in whom lifestyle interventions, with or without anti-obesity medications, have been insufficient.
Weight regain is a recognized complication of bariatric surgery that affects about 20 to 25% of patients and is more prevalent after the second postoperative year (
‘Behavioral Interventions to Attenuate Driven Overeating and Weight Regain after Bariatric Surgery’ focuses on identifying and classifying eating behaviors after bariatric surgery that lead to over-consumption of calories (
Anti-obesity medications are effective therapies for treating post-bariatric weight regain. In ‘Pharmacologic Management of Weight Regain Following Bariatric Surgery‘, the authors discuss the evidence supporting the use of anti-obesity medications for weight regain in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery (
‘Endoscopic Management of Weight Recurrence Following Bariatric Surgery’ highlights the role of minimally invasive, endoscopic options for managing weight regain in select patients (
A patient’s lived experience with obesity, including their interactions with the healthcare system, influences how and whether they choose to seek treatment for weight regain following bariatric surgery. This is complicated by the high level of attrition to follow-up after bariatric surgery, which may be impacted by experienced weight stigma and bias. In ‘The Role of Weight Stigma in Weight Regain in Bariatric Surgery’ the authors discuss the critical role of societal messaging, as well as messaging within the medical community towards postsurgical patients that can affect adherence and follow-up (
Bariatric surgery is a safe, effective, and durable therapy for obesity and its complications. Beyond improving health, bariatric surgery also increases quality of life and life expectancy. However, obesity is a chronic disease and bariatric surgery is not curative. Significant weight regain is a reality for a small proportion of patients who undergo bariatric surgery and may be challenging to treat. The optimal management of post-bariatric weight regain acknowledges the complexity of the contributing physiological, behavioral, and anatomical factors, and that a multidisciplinary team approach can increase the likelihood of optimizing weight, health outcomes, and quality of life.
AS: Writing – review & editing. MS: Writing – original draft. JA: Writing – review & editing.
Author JA reports serving as a paid advisor/consultant for the companies Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Eli Lilly and Company. Author AS reports receiving research support from the companies Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly and Company, and serving as a paid advisor/consultant to Sun Pharmaceuticals.
The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.