Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of probiotics and prebiotics (LactoWise®) on weight loss, blood pressure, and clinical lab values in morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).
Materials methods: Sixty patients undergoing LSG were recruited to participate in the study and randomized into either a LactoWise® or placebo group. The LactoWise® group (LWG) received 4.5 billion live cells of bacillus coagulans and galactomannans (300 mg); the placebo group received 600 mg of calcium citrate yielding 126 mg of elemental calcium. Both groups took their assigned capsule daily for 3-months post-surgery. Standard clinical lab values were measured pre-surgery and at 3-months post-surgery. Weight and blood pressures were measured at baseline, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months post-surgery.
Results: A total of 35 patients with a mean age of 47.7 ± 12.4 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 46.6 ± 8.2 kg/m2 completed the study. There was a significant difference in BMI at baseline between the two study groups (43.0 ± 7.0 vs. 49.2 ± 8.3, P = .02). Weight loss was greater in the LWG compared to placebo at 6 weeks but showed no significant difference at 3 months post-op. In addition, there was a significant drop in triglycerides (TG) (P = .02) over time in the LWG (P = .01). The LWG had a significant decrease in AST and LDL compared to the placebo group (P = .03).
Conclusion: Bariatric surgery (BS) produces positively impacting metabolic results in morbidly obese patients. Our study shows that in the case of triglycerides, LDL, weight loss and AST, administering of a probiotic/prebiotic blend may play a role in improving clinical outcomes of morbidly obese patients undergoing LSG.