Determining the Longitudinal Compositional and Functional Changes to the Microbiota After RYGB Surgery

Abstract

Obesity has become an epidemic with more deaths attributed to being overweight and obese than underweight. Bariatric surgery is an effective means to achieve sustained weight loss and metabolic improvements when performed on morbidly obese individuals. Other studies have suggested that metabolic improvements are associated with gut microbial changes therefore we investigated the longer duration (9 year) effects of bariatric surgery on the microbiome of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients or vertical banded gastroplasty patients compared to weight matched subjects. Additionally, we investigated the effects of RYGB surgery on the microbiome of individual morbidly obese patients within a one year timeframe. RYGB and VBG surgery led to altered relative phylogenic abundances and differential abundancies in functional potential found at the gene and metabolic pathway level. These functional potential differences included the ability to transfer and use multiple carbohydrate based energy sources, an additional ability to metabolize protein and fatty acids and an increased ability to perform aerobic respiration.