Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33715633›Full record

SynthesisNutrition journal2021

The effect of additional protein on lean body mass preservation in post-bariatric surgery patients: a systematic review.

Marleen M Romeijn, Daniëlle D B Holthuijsen, Aniek M Kolen, Loes Janssen, Goof Schep, François M H van Dielen, Wouter K G Leclercq

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nutrition journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
4.0field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effect of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy on Male Sexual Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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  14. Exercise training in metabolic and bariatric surgery: An overview of systematic reviews.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Marleen M RomeijnDepartment of Surgery, Máxima Medical Center, De Run 4600, Veldhoven, 5504 DB, The Netherlands. Bariatrics.resurge@mmc.nl.ORCID 0000-0001-6582-5255
Daniëlle D B HolthuijsenDepartment of Surgery, Máxima Medical Center, De Run 4600, Veldhoven, 5504 DB, The Netherlands.
Aniek M KolenDepartment of Surgery, Máxima Medical Center, De Run 4600, Veldhoven, 5504 DB, The Netherlands.
Loes JanssenDepartment of Surgery, Máxima Medical Center, De Run 4600, Veldhoven, 5504 DB, The Netherlands.
Goof SchepDepartment of Sport Medicine, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
François M H van DielenDepartment of Surgery, Máxima Medical Center, De Run 4600, Veldhoven, 5504 DB, The Netherlands.
Wouter K G LeclercqDepartment of Surgery, Máxima Medical Center, De Run 4600, Veldhoven, 5504 DB, The Netherlands.
Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs result of bariatric surgery, patients are susceptible to protein deficiency which can result in undesirable lean body mass (LBM) loss. Consumption of high-protein diets or supplements could counteract this, but evidence about the effect is scarce. This paper systematically reviewed the literature to determine the effect of additional protein intake (≥60 g/day) on LBM preservation in post-bariatric patients.

methodsAn electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library was conducted. Studies were included if patients received a high-protein diet or protein supplements for at least one month, and LBM was assessed. The primary outcome was difference in mean LBM loss between the experimental (protein) and control group. Secondary outcomes were differences in body fat mass, total body water, body mass index and resting metabolic rate.

resultsTwo of the five included studies (n = 223) showed that consumption of proteins resulted in significant LBM preservation. Only one study reported a significant difference in the reduction of body fat mass and resting metabolic rate in favour of a high-protein diet, but none of the studies showed a significant difference in total body water loss or body mass index change between the two groups.

conclusionsThis paper showed inconclusive evidence for LBM preservation due to protein supplementation or a high-protein diet in post-bariatric patients. This outcome might be subjected to certain limitations, including a lack of blinding and a low compliance rate reported in the included studies. More specific and personalized recommendations regarding protein intake may need to be established by high quality research. Studies investigating the quantity (g/day) and quality (whey, casein or soy) of proteins are also needed.

Indexed as

Bariatric SurgeryBody CompositionBasal MetabolismBody Mass IndexDietary SupplementsHumansBariatric surgeryBody compositionLean body massProtein intakeSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID33715633
PMCPMC7958440
OpenAlexW3139309447

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.