The relative importance of Endogenously Secreted incretin hormones, GLP-1 and GIP for Postprandial Glucose Tolerance and β-Cell Function After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery

Bariatric surgery procedures, namely Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is increasingly used worldwide, have been shown to be the most effective strategy to induce and maintain weight loss as well as inducing long-term remission from type 2 diabetes among people with significant obesity. The mechanism for diabetes remission remains unclear and multi-factorial, although increased secretion of endogenous glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) hormones to improve postprandial β-cell function is widely considered to be the main mechanism for diabetes remission following RYGB. However, recent studies have shown that rate of remission between the two types of bariatric surgery procedures are similar but yet, the mechanism for remission above and beyond weight loss per se following SG is less clear. Beyond GLP-1, the role of the other major incretin hormone, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), is relatively unexplored after bariatric surgery. A study published in Diabetes Care have therefore studied the effects of separate and combined GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and GIP receptor (GIPR) blockade during mixed-meal tests in un-operated (CON), SG-operated, and RYGB-operated people with no history of diabetes. The investigator found that, as expected, postprandial GLP-1 concentrations were highest after RYGB but also higher after SG compared with CON. In contrast, postprandial GIP concentrations were lowest after RYGB. Interestingly, blockage of GLP-1R reduced β-cell glucose sensitivity and increased postprandial glucose responses in both surgical groups but had no effect in CON. Blockage of GIPR however reduced β-cell glucose sensitivity and increased postprandial glucose responses in the CON and SG groups but had no effect in the RYGB group. This study showed that while GLP-1 is the most important mediator of improved beta cell function after RYGB, both GLP-1 and GIP are equally important after SG. The combine benefits of GLP-1 and GIP following SG is interesting, given the recent emergence of the dual GLP-1 and GIP agonist for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. It would be interesting also to explore the relative role of Glucagon on beta cell function following both procedures.