gms | German Medical Science

Background: Bariatric procedures lead to a long term weight reduction, an improvement or remission of obesity associated comorbidities and finally to an increase of life expectancy. Molecular alterations at the epigenetic or metabolic level underlying these dramatic clinical improvements are largely unkonwon. In the current study we tested whether bariatric procedures induce alterations in telomere length distribution in leucocytes.

Materials and methods: Thirty obese patients were included in the study. Indication for surgery was set according to international guidelines. A blood sample was taken preoperatively, 6, 12 and 24 months postoperativeley. The telomere length of leucocytes was analyzed. At the same time we examined the weight outcome and the levels of glucose in blood.

Results: Thirty patients (21 females, 9 males) aged between 26 and 68 years with a mean BMI of 52 kg/m² were included in the study. Two years after surgery the mean BMI was reduced to 37 kg/m². Preoperatively 11 patients had diabetes mellitus typ 2, which improved 2 years after surgery in 80% of these patients. 6 and 12 months after surgery we noticed a relative shortening of the telomere length. However, 24 months following surgery we observed an increase in telomere length. More specifically patients showed a bigger telomere length than prior to surgery. Patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 seem to have shorter telomeres prior to surgery.

Conclusion: During the first year after surgery a shortening of telomere length is observed, but a strong increase of the length is seen during the second postoperative year. The dramatic change in the metabolic status of the patients could explain the telomere shortening. A stabilisation of the weight and improvement of comorbidities after surgery leads to an increase of the telomere length and this might be indicative of an increase repair capacity in these patients.