Removing belly fat during weight-loss surgery helps more
Visceral fat resection in humans: Effect on insulin sensitivity, beta‐cell function, adipokines, and inflammatory markers
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists studied 20 women with severe obesity and metabolic problems. Some had weight-loss surgery with extra removal of belly fat (omentectomy), others had just the weight-loss surgery. The group with belly fat removed lost more weight and had lower inflammation and better insulin function over a year.
Surprising Findings
Omentectomy preserved insulin secretion in non-diabetic women, while insulin sensitivity improved similarly in both groups.
It’s counterintuitive that removing fat didn’t boost insulin sensitivity — the expected outcome — but instead protected insulin secretion, which is a different aspect of metabolic health.
Practical Takeaways
For patients undergoing gastric bypass, discussing omentectomy with their surgeon may lead to better weight loss and lower inflammation over time.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists studied 20 women with severe obesity and metabolic problems. Some had weight-loss surgery with extra removal of belly fat (omentectomy), others had just the weight-loss surgery. The group with belly fat removed lost more weight and had lower inflammation and better insulin function over a year.
Surprising Findings
Omentectomy preserved insulin secretion in non-diabetic women, while insulin sensitivity improved similarly in both groups.
It’s counterintuitive that removing fat didn’t boost insulin sensitivity — the expected outcome — but instead protected insulin secretion, which is a different aspect of metabolic health.
Practical Takeaways
For patients undergoing gastric bypass, discussing omentectomy with their surgeon may lead to better weight loss and lower inflammation over time.
Publication
Journal
Obesity
Year
2013
Authors
M. M. Lima, J. Pareja, S. Alegre, S. R. Geloneze, S. Kahn, B. Astiarraga, É. Chaim, J. Baracat, B. Geloneze
Related Content
Claims (6)
Visceral fat is metabolically active tissue that releases cytokines, which impair insulin sensitivity and disrupt metabolic signaling in the liver, muscles, and brain, leading to systemic metabolic dysfunction.
For women with severe obesity and metabolic syndrome who had gastric bypass surgery, adding the removal of the omentum fat led to more weight loss over time compared to just the bypass alone.
Women with severe obesity and metabolic syndrome who had gastric bypass surgery with omentum removal had lower levels of a marker for inflammation (CRP) after one year compared to those who only had the bypass.
For non-diabetic women with severe obesity and metabolic syndrome who had gastric bypass surgery, adding omentum removal helped maintain their body's insulin response to sugar after one year, while those without it saw a decline.
Non-diabetic women with severe obesity and metabolic syndrome who had gastric bypass surgery with omentum removal had better overall insulin function (disposition index) at 6 and 12 months compared to those who only had the bypass.