Long-term Weight Gain Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

By Luke Leonardo¹, Ravi Pasam², Christopher C. Thompson¹

Introduction
• Cholecystectomy is the definitive treatment for
symptomatic gallstones.1
• Gallbladder serves as bile acid (BA) reservoir.
1
• Removal disrupts normal pulsatile release of
BAs in response to meals.1, 2
• BAs stimulate the secretion of incretin
hormones, which play a role in metabolic
regulation.3-4
• Therefore, cholecystectomy may influence
long-term body weight regulation

Methods
Study Design
• Retrospective study at a single tertiary care center.
Population
• Adults with cholelithiasis.
• Weight recorded in 2023 and 2025.
Groups
• Experimental: Cholecystectomy in 2023 (n=50).
• Control: No cholecystectomy (n=50).
Exclusion Criteria
• Major comorbidities, pregnancy, bariatric surgery,
and weight loss medications.
Primary outcomes
• Change in weight and BMI (2023–2025).
Statistical Analysis
• Multivariate regression adjusted for age, sex and
baseline BMI.

Results
Study population
• Total patients: 100
• Cholecystectomy: 50
• Control: 50
BMI Change
• Cholecystectomy group: significant increase
(p = 0.0003).
• Control group: no significant change
(p = 0.451).
Multivariate Regression
Cholecystectomy associated with:
• BMI Increase (β = 1.43, p = 0.0003).
• Weight Increase (β = 4.06, p = 0.0004).

Conclusions
• Cholecystectomy is associated with
significant increases in weight and
BMI.
• Patients may benefit from postoperative lifestyle counseling to
mitigate potential weight gain.
• Larger prospective studies are
needed to confirm these findings and
clarify underlying mechanisms.

References
1 All About Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy).
Cleveland Clinic. Accessed August 20, 2025.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/procedures/21614-
gallbladder-removal

2 Asad U, Wang CF, Jones MW. Laparoscopic
Cholecystectomy. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing;
2025. Accessed August 20, 2025.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448145/

3 Kuhre RE, Wewer Albrechtsen NJ, Larsen O, et al. Bile
acids are important direct and indirect regulators of the
secretion of appetite- and metabolism-regulating
hormones from the gut and pancreas. Mol Metab.
2018;11:84-95. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2018.03.007

4 Alcaino C, Reimann F, Gribble FM. Incretin hormones and
Obesity. J Physiol. Published online November 22,
2024:10.1113/JP286293. doi:10.1113/JP286293

Disclosures: None