Effects of Probiotics on Postoperative Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Gut Microbiota Following Sleeve Gastrectomy

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a widely performed bariatric surgery resulting in remarkable weight loss and reduced obesity-related complications. Despite these benefits, patients often experience postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms like constipation and bloating.

The prospective, placebo-controlled trial investigated the effects of probiotic supplementation on these postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms in SG patients, along with laboratory and stool test outcomes. 

The study included 31 adults without specific gastrointestinal disorders, who were randomly assigned to either a probiotics group (15) or a control group (16). Pre-surgery and one-month postoperative assessments evaluated gastrointestinal symptoms, laboratory results, and stool tests. 

The results indicated the following:

• Probiotic supplementation significantly increased frequency of stool per week and decreased constipation.
• Additionally, participants in the probiotics group reported improved ease of defecation and bowel movement completeness. 
• No remarkable differences were observed in weight loss or laboratory results between groups. 
• Microbiota analysis revealed normalization of levels of Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, and Clostridium perfringens in the probiotics group contrary to the controls group.

 The study thus, concluded that probiotics can effectively alleviate constipation after SG, enhancing patient comfort and recovery.

Source: Dowgiałło-Gornowicz N, Mysiorska D, Sosnowska-Turek E, Botulińska A, Lech P. Initial Study on the Impact of Probiotics on Postoperative Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Gut Microbiota after Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2024 Oct 15;16(20):3498. doi: 10.3390/nu16203498. PMID: 39458493; PMCID: PMC11510060.