Exploring the impact of weight loss on cellular metabolism

We know that obesity is a risk factor for developing a variety of health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. However, we do not fully understand why this is.

Clinical trials of weight loss interventions provide us with the opportunity to generate data on a body’s biological response to losing weight, especially in relation to its impact on cellular metabolism. Cellular metabolism refers to the chemical reactions taking place within our cells.

By-Band-Sleeve (BBS) is a trial which compared the clinical and cost-effectiveness of three types of weight loss surgery common in the UK. During this study (and subsequent sub-studies) researchers collected blood samples from participants before and after they underwent surgery.

Analysing these samples will let us compare levels of circulating metabolites (small molecules produced by cellular metabolism) and proteins. This approach will show us what impact weight loss had on participants’ biological processes.

Project aims

The aim of this project is to use data obtained during BBS to examine the effect of weight loss surgery on metabolic health and to consider how this varies by procedure.

We will then compare our results to similar studies of dietary and pharmaceutical weight management interventions.

What we hope to achieve

We hope to improve the level of information available to patients and clinicians when they are considering available treatment options. We will do this by improving our understanding of how weight management interventions work at the molecular level and the implications of this for related diseases.

By thinking about the likely long-term benefits of therapy and how these may vary by treatment approach, we hope to inform policy and best practice around the treatment of overweight and obesity.