Gastric bypass surgery associated with non-alcohol substance use disorder

Researchers have discovered a link between gastric bypass surgery and an increased risk of non-alcohol substance use disorder, according to a new study in Obesity.

In the current research, Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study, enrolled 2,010 patients with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery – 265 patients for gastric bypass, 1,369 with vertical banded gastroplasty, and 376 patients with gastric banding. A total of 2,037 matched control individuals received usual obesity care. Participants were between the ages of 37 and 60 and had a body mass index (BMI) of at least 34 kg/m2 for males and 38 kg/m2 for females. The study included patients from September 1987 to January 2001 with a follow-up period of nearly 24 years.

Results revealed that only gastric bypass surgery was associated with an increased incidence of non-alcohol substance use disorder compared with control participants. The most common diagnoses were other psychoactive substance-related disorders; sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic-related disorders and opioid-related disorders.

In addition, when the groups that had undergone different surgical procedures were compared with each other, no statistical difference in the incidence of non-alcohol substance use disorder was detected.

Reference: “Non-Alcohol Substance Use Disorder After Bariatric Surgery in the Prospective, Controlled Swedish Obese Subjects Study,” Obesity in August 2023