Ketogenic Diet For Preoperative Weight Reduction In Bariatric Surgery A Narrative Review

This review examined whether following a ketogenic diet before bariatric (weight loss) surgery helps improve outcomes for patients with severe obesity. Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective long-term treatment for severe obesity, helping patients lose significant weight and improve related health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. However, these surgeries can be technically challenging and carry risks, especially in patients with very large amounts of abdominal and liver fat that can make the procedures more difficult.

Researchers analyzed existing studies on patients who followed ketogenic diets - very low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating plans that put the body into a metabolic state called ketosis - in the weeks or months before their scheduled bariatric surgery. The ketogenic approach was designed to help patients lose weight beforehand, potentially making their surgery safer and easier to perform.

The review found that all studies showed ketogenic diets led to substantial weight loss before surgery and appeared to improve surgical risk factors. Patients were able to reduce their body weight and likely decrease the amount of fat around their organs, which could make surgical procedures less complicated. The ketogenic diet approach appeared to be safe for patients to follow during this pre-surgical period.

However, the researchers noted that the existing studies varied greatly in how they were conducted, what specific diet protocols were used, and what outcomes were measured. This makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about exactly how effective this approach is compared to other pre-surgical weight loss methods. For patients considering bariatric surgery, this research suggests that a medically-supervised ketogenic diet could be a valuable tool for optimizing surgical outcomes, but should be discussed with their surgical team as part of a comprehensive pre-operative plan.