Credit: Diogo Matias
A study led by scientists from the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, in Lisbon, concludes that bariatric surgery - that is, procedures used to treat severe obesity by reconfiguring the gastrointestinal tract -, leads to greater weight loss in patients who, before the surgery, had a heightened perception of sweetness.
Although bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for severe obesity, the outcome of the procedure in terms of weight loss varies significantly from patient to patient. Thus, understanding why some patients benefit more than others from bariatric surgery may be paramount to estimate what to expect from the surgery for a given patient - and ultimately, to decide whether to perform it at all on that patient.