Metabolic bariatric surgery reduces markers of aging in patients with obesity, independent of achieving optimal total weight loss

Alicja Dudek; Barbara Zapała; Ilona Kawa; Karol Ciszek; Piotr Tylec; Katarzyna Cyranka; Piotr Major; Wojciech Zgliczynski

doi:10.1530/endoabs.110.EP876

EP876

Prev Next

Section Contents Cite

Endocrine Abstracts (2025) 110 EP876 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.110.EP876

ECEESPE2025 ePoster Presentations Metabolism, Nutrition and Obesity (164 abstracts)

Metabolic bariatric surgery reduces markers of aging in patients with obesity, independent of achieving optimal total weight loss

Alicja Dudek ^1,2 , Barbara Zapała ³ , Ilona Kawa ³ , Karol Ciszek ³ , Piotr Tylec ¹ , Katarzyna Cyranka ⁴ , Piotr Major ¹ & Wojciech Zgliczynski ⁵

Author affiliations

¹Jagiellonian University Medical College, II Department of General Surgery, Krakow, Poland; ²Postgraduate Medical Education Center, Endocrinology Department, Warsaw, Poland; ³Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland; ⁴Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Krakow, Poland; ⁵Postgraduate Medical Education Center., Endocrinology Department, Warsaw, Poland

JOINT3794

Introduction: Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder associated with accelerated biological aging, systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress. Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is an effective intervention for obesity; however, the extent to which improvements in biological age markers are contingent upon achieving optimal weight loss remains unclear.

Objective: To investigate whether the postoperative changes in aging biomarkers following MBS are dependent on achieving optimal weight loss outcomes.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 100 patients with obesity scheduled for MBS between July 2020 and May 2021 were enrolled and followed for 24 months postoperatively. Biological aging markers assessed included telomere length (TL) measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), DNA damage, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), total oxidant status (TOS), and metabolic age. Patients were stratified into two cohorts: those achieving optimal weight loss (% total weight loss [TWL] ≥20%, % excess weight loss [EWL] ≥50%) and those with suboptimal weight loss outcomes (%TWL <20%, %EWL <50%). Correlations between weight loss parameters and changes in biological aging markers were analyzed.

Results: Forty patients completed the 24-month follow-up (22 in the optimal weight loss group, 18 in the suboptimal group). Significant postoperative improvements were observed in TL, DNA damage, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, TOS, and metabolic age in both cohorts. Notably, metabolic age demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in the optimal weight loss group (p < 0.05), whereas changes in other biomarkers did not differ significantly between groups.

Conclusions: MBS induces significant reductions in biomarkers associated with biological aging, independent of the extent of weight loss achieved. These findings suggest that conventional weight loss metrics (%TWL, %EWL) may not fully capture the therapeutic benefits of MBS, underscoring its broader impact on molecular aging processes.