Thermic effect of food and resting energy expenditure after sleeve gastrectomy for weight loss in adolescent females.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have addressed the effect of bariatric surgery on factors related to energy balance, including resting energy expenditure (REE) and thermic effect of food (TEF). To our knowledge, very few studies have examined changes in REE and none have investigated modifications in TEF after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) performed in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To assess energy expenditure in females who underwent SG as adolescents and matched-control participants as preliminary data about the potential of SG to confer differences in postprandial energy expenditure.

SETTING: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.

METHODS: In this observational study, REE and respiratory quotient (RQ) were measured via indirect calorimetry, followed by a standardized meal and assessment of TEF and postprandial RQ. Plasma drawn before and every 15 minutes after the meal was assayed for insulin, glucose, and C-peptide. Usual dietary intake was estimated using 24-hour recall interviews.

RESULTS: Fasting REE and RQ were similar between surgical and control groups. Postmeal TEF also did not differ between groups. The surgical group had higher RQ early in the postprandial period, whereas the control group RQ was higher after 125 minutes post meal. Compared with the control group, the surgical group had lower postprandial glucose, higher insulin and C-peptide, and consumed less daily energy during usual intake.

CONCLUSIONS: Postprandial RQ was consistent with the rapid gastric emptying typical of SG, yet we observed no group differences in REE or TEF. These findings may have been due to limited statistical power. More comprehensive studies of EE after SG are warranted.