Changes in Insulin Sensitivity After Weight Loss Induced by Diet or Bariatric Surgery

Patients who are scheduled for gastric bypass (GBP), sleeve gastrectomy (SG), or simple caloric restriction with gastric banding (BND) or a very low calorie diet (VLCD) will be examined at baseline weight, and when 6-10% total body weight has been lost. We will measure insulin sensitivity with an intravenous glucose tolerance test, and fasting levels of hormones that regulate food intake and insulin sensitivity, such as ghrelin, peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) and leptin. Fat mass and skeletal muscle mass will be measured by dual photon absorptiometry (DXA). We will also measure the hormonal and thermic response to food with a liquid test meal and energy expenditure by indirect calorimetry. This measures how many calories are burned at rest and the in response to food. Subjects with diabetes will continue to be studied with the same protocol on an annual basis out to 5 years in order to determine the rate of remission of diabetes and the durability of this effect as subjects tend to regain some body weight over time.

Subjects with diabetes will also be followed every three months for the first year after the initial weight loss for HbA1c and fasting glucose levels. The results of this study may lead to new understanding about changes in insulin sensitivity, body composition and hormonal profile, as well as changes in energy expenditure with weight loss after bariatric surgery or with simple caloric restriction. With this greater understanding, new treatments for obesity and diabetes, that do not require surgery, may be developed.