Substantial heterogeneity exists in
weight loss trajectories amongst patients following
bariatric surgery. Hormonal factors are postulated to be amongst the contributors to the variation seen. Several
hormones involved in hunger, satiety, and energy balance are affected by
bariatric surgery, with the alteration in hormonal milieu varying by procedure. Limited research has been conducted to examine potential hormonal mediators of
weight loss failure or recidivism following
bariatric surgery. While hormonal factors that influence
weight loss success following gastric banding have not been identified, data suggest that hormonal factors may be involved in modulating
weight loss success following
gastric bypass. There may be hormonal mediators involved in determining the
weight trajectory following sleeve
gastrectomy, though the extremely limited data currently available prohibits definitive conclusions from being drawn. There is great need for future research studies to explore this knowledge gap, as improving this knowledge base could be of benefit to guide clinicians toward understanding the hormonal contributors to a patient's postoperative
weight loss failure or recidivism or perhaps be of value in selecting the most appropriate bariatric procedure based on the preoperative
hormone milieu. Integrative interdisciplinary approaches exploring these complex interrelationships could potentially increase the explanatory power of such investigations.