Bariatric Surgery and Remission of Metabolic Syndrome: A Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials and Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Studies have discussed the efficacy of bariatric surgery (BS) in remission of individual components of metabolic syndrome (MS). We aimed to analyse the prevalence of MS following BS. METHODS: On October 5, 2023, we conducted a literature search on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane. RevManv5.4 was used for the analysis. RESULTS: MS patients who underwent BS had lower odds of MS within the first year post-BS (OR 0.14, 95%CI 0.12-0.17); patients who had a preoperative BMI < 50 showed a higher reduction in MS post-BS compared with patients who suffered from super obesity (OR 0.12 versus OR 0.17). Older patients (age > 42) had lower odds of MS post-BS compared with younger patients (OR 0.05 versus OR 0.17). There was not a difference in MS prevalence between 1 and 2 years postoperatively (OR 1.07, 95%CI 0.72-1.58). Asians reported the highest reduction in MS post-BS (OR 0.08). MS patients who received medical treatment had three times the odds of having MS compared with patients who underwent BS. Patients who had BS reported a decline in their anti-hypertensives and oral anti-diabetic drugs (OR 0.26, 95%CI 0.15-0.46, OR 0.11, 95%CI 0.07-0.16, respectively). There was not a significant difference in MS prevalence between patients who underwent RYGB and those who had SG (OR 2.16, 95%CI 0.74-6.26). CONCLUSIONS: BS is superior to medical treatment in the remission of MS. Age, preoperative BMI, and country of origin affect the rates of MS remission. BS results in a sustainable resolution of MS across 1, 2, and 5 years post-surgery. A tailored approach is warranted to achieve the best outcomes.