Mateusz J Swierz, Mallgorzata M Bala, Dawid Storman, Katarzyna W Jasinska, Wojciech Staskiewicz, Anna Skuza, Magdalena Gorecka and Paulina Tobola
Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland
Specialist Hospital-Gorlice, Poland
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Prim Health Care
Introduction: Bariatric Surgery (BS) is currently the most effective treatment considering weight loss. To improve the
sustainability of results certain interventions such as administration of probiotics may be implemented. Our systematic review
will provide analysis of the efficacy of probiotics in patients undergoing BS as result of published Randomized Controlled Trials
(RCTs) is inconsistent.
Method: Electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Central, web of Science) and registers of clinical trials (ClinicalTrials.
gov, European Trials Register, WHO International Trials Registry Platform) were searched without any restrictions. RCTs,
where patients undergoing BS were provided probiotics at any dose, were included. The primary outcomes were weight loss
measured as a change in e.g. weight/BMI/percentage of excess weight loss and modification in the quality of life. All screenings
and data extraction were performed independently by pairs of reviewers. Any conflicts were resolved by discussion or help
from the third reviewer. References of included studies and references from any identified relevant systematic review/metaanalysis
were searched. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for risk of bias assessment. The study protocol was published
in the PROSPERO database (CRD42018105257).
Result: Searches provided 1998 results and after deduplication, 1728 abstracts were screened. Out of 23 retrieved full texts,
5 studies (13 references) met the inclusion criteria. 226 patients (75% women) were recruited and duration of interventions
ranged from 2 weeks to 6 months. Interventions comprised individual supplements of Clostridium butyricum, Bifidobacterium
longum, Lactobacillus, as well as complex preparations of up to 11 different species of probiotics. The outcomes were reported
inconsistently among included trials with % excess weight loss being the most commonly reported outcome (4 studies).
Mateusz J Swierz is currently pursuing his PhD at the Jagiellonian University Medical College. Being a Member of Cochrane Poland, he actively propagates the idea of evidence-based medicine and incorporates it into science projects, currently resolving around bariatric surgery and the use of probiotics in surgery.
E-mail: mjswierz@gmail.com