Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Maternal nutritional status and periconceptional environmental conditions have been previously linked to the methylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for morbid obesity, with most patients achieving significant weight control within 1-2 years post-surgery. However, some patients do not experience the desired weight loss. The clinical correlation between the methylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter and postoperative outcomes in obese patients remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between the methylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter and the effectiveness of bariatric surgery.
Hypothesis: The degree of methylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter is related to excess weight loss (EWL) after bariatric surgery.
Methods: The OCEAN registry (Obesity and Clock for Elegant AgiNg) is a prospective cohort study collecting data from 2011 to 2017, including 381 obese patients, 179 of whom underwent bariatric surgery. Quantitative pyrosequencing was performed on all patients. Postoperative weight and EWL were tracked and recorded at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS.26.
Results: The degree of methylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter shows a bimodal distribution. Compared to the normal group from the Taiwan Biobank, the methylation distribution between the two groups differs significantly. Patients were categorized into hypomethylation (≤10%), intermediate-methylation (10-40%), and hypermethylation (≥40%) groups. Statistics indicate that hypermethylation is associated with higher EWL at one year (p=0 .047) and two years (p=0.04) post-surgery compared to the hypomethylation group. In the linear regression model, after controlling for variables including age, creatinine, cholesterol, TG, LDL, AC sugar and HbA1c, our analysis revealed a positive correlation between HDL and one year EWL.
Conclusion: Obese patients who have hypermethylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter demonstrate improved EWL one and two years following bariatric surgery. Given the previous links between the methylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter and maternal nutritional status, these findings suggest that early life nutritional factors may influence the effectiveness of bariatric surgery outcomes. Further comprehensive and long-term studies are needed to confirm the methylation of the vtRNA 2-1 promoter as a viable indicator for predicting bariatric surgery outcomes and improving cardiovascular health.