Bariatric surgery and diet change in rats

Abstract

An unbalanced, unhealthy diet is one of the main causes leading to obesity and the apparition of comorbidities. Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective and durable treatment against obesity. Despite being a commonly performed technique is still much investigated, as the mechanisms by which the weight is reduced and the comorbidities are improved are still largely unknown. Implementing healthier dietary habits after BS appears to be decisive to maintain the obtained benefits, besides the mechanistic restriction of the BS. On the other hand, dieting alone is also described to have beneficial effects if well implemented. Based on this information, we established the following hypothesis:

A high-fat diet will induce modifications on a rodent model, such as increasing adiposity, unbalancing the gut microbiota, and modifying the fatty acid composition of several organs. The deleterious effects produced by the high-fat diet will be partly improved by either vertical sleeve gastrectomy or by a change of diet, while the combination of both actions will have a synergistic effect and a better outcome than both actions alone.

To explore this hypothesis the following objectives were formulated:

• Identify the major modifications caused by the HFD on adiposity, gut microbiota composition, and fatty acid composition in tissues. • Study the effects caused by VSG when the high-fat diet is continued.

• Study the effects caused by a change of diet alone.

• Study the effects caused by a combination of VSG and a change of diet.