GLP-1: 10-year follow-up after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Purpose Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone widely studied in the short-term postoperative follow-up of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass due to its elevation and association with improvement of the glucose metabolism, but there are few studies in 10 years after RYGB follow-up with the same patient. Methods Twenty morbidity obesity patients were submitted to RYGB; these patients were divided into two groups: normal glucose-tolerant morbidly obese patients (NGT) 11 patients and abnormal glucose metabolism morbidly obese patients (AGM) 9 patients. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was done during four different periods: T1 (first evaluation), T2 (pre-surgery), T3 (9 months after surgery) and T4 (10 years after surgery). Results Groups were matched for age and gender, and as NGT and AGM had BMI of 46.31 +/- 5.03 kg/m(2) and 50.87 +/- 10.31 kg/m(2.) After 10 years of RYGB, they were obesity grade I with BMI for NGT 32.45 +/- 4.99 kg/m(2) and AGM 34.85 +/- 4.46 kg/m(2). Plasma glucose levels decreased NGT group at T4 period had a significant reduction at 120 min after OGTT for NGT 55.49 +/- 17.15 mg/dL (p<0.001). Insulin levels changed from T1 to T4 for the NGT group. GLP-1 curves were statistically different between the NGT and AGM groups. The AGM group had a higher mean for GLP-1 secretion at T4 period and at 30 min of OGTT 63.85 +/- 37.98 pmol/L when compared to NGT 50.73 +/- 24.82 pmol/L with AGM > NGT with p<0.001. Conclusion Evaluation of the same patient during 4 different periods shows that, even with weight regain, after 10-years of RYGB high levels of GLP-1 remained which can be associated with metabolic improvement especially at the NGT group.