Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]) is a circulating protein in the blood that has little known functions. Our research has shown that high levels of Lp (a) are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). About 20% of the population could have high concentrations (> 125 nmol/L) of Lp (a). About 70 to 90% of the variation in concentrations of Lp (a) would be explained by genetic factors. Indeed, intervention studies, as such weight loss, revealed little to no significant impact on Lp(a) levels. Nonetheless, the impact of intervention that induce substantial weight loss, such as bariatric surgery, on Lp(a) levels is currently unclear. Our research team is interested in the impact of bariatric surgery on Lp(a) levels in patients with severe obesity. In this study, one hundred patients with severe obesity were included. Of these, 69 patients underwent bariatric surgery. Lp(a) levels was measured before surgery and at 6 and 12 months after surgery. Lp(a) levels were also measured in a control group of patients with severe obesity (n=31) at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Lp(a) levels at baseline was similar between the both groups. At 6 months, we observed a decrease in Lp(a) levels in the surgery group but this decrease was not sustained up to 12 months. Lp(a) levels did not change at 6 months in the control group whereas an increase was observed at 12 months. Our results suggest that bariatric surgery might improve Lp(a) levels in the short term in patients with severe obesity but not in the longer term. These results reinforce the notion that Lp(a) levels is mainly genetically determined and that interventions that target weight loss may not have lasting effect on Lp(a) levels.