Background

There is a significant amount of individual diversity in the amount of weight loss following bariatric surgery. Clinicians who treat patients with extreme obesity now have access to a novel genetic tool that can predict and eventually improve the outcomes of bariatric surgery. It has been found that as opposed to having one or none of the DRD4 risk allele, having two copies of the allele could be a useful genetic prediction for weight loss following surgical intervention. It is likely that the hypodopaminergic activity that corresponds to this DRD4 gene polymorphism, being an addictive gene. In an effort to make a meaningful contribution to this ongoing line of inquiry, we carried out a qualitative investigation within the context of our own clinical work.ResultsWe evaluated 238 individuals who received bariatric surgery, with a particular emphasis on those patients who were suffering with weight regain. This is characterized as regaining more than 30 percent of the weight they had lost. Remarkably, 95 of the 102 individuals who had experienced such a weight regain were found to contain the DRD4 gene, a variant of the genome that is related with compulsive eating behaviors.ConclusionThis findings suggest that genetic variables may play a part in determining weight loss success after a bariatric surgery. Understanding genetics can help predict post-op success and can help the physician decide if additional treatment modalities will be needed and initiated earlier.