Publications by authors named "Bart van der Schueren"

As the prevalence of obesity increases worldwide, and lifestyle modification or pharmaceutical treatment yields insufficient results for patients with severe obesity, an increasing number of patients opt for metabolic bariatric surgery as an effective and durable treatment of this disease. Seeing as 80% of these patients are women, many of whom are of reproductive age, pregnancies after metabolic bariatric surgery become increasingly common. Metabolic bariatric surgery has many benefits for overall health and pregnancy outcomes, but certain risks are also reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Intravenous iron supplementation is increasingly used to safely and effectively correct iron deficiency anemia, but some formulations are linked to a renal phosphate wasting syndrome which is mediated by fibroblast growth factor 23. Unawareness among prescribers and the nonspecific clinical symptoms of hypophosphatemia result in underreporting of this complication. Even though it is often an asymptomatic and self-limiting condition, accumulating evidence from case reports and dedicated randomized controlled trials show that IV iron induced hypophosphatemia may be associated with clinical symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are traditionally perceived as lean, but recent evidence suggests an increasing trend of obesity. To provide global estimates, this study explored the prevalence of obesity among adults with and without T1D across three distinct global regions.

Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was performed utilizing data from T1D registries and national health surveys to assess the prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m) and the prevalence of overweight and obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m) across Belgium, Kuwait, and Mexico.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To characterize and stratify health-related quality of life in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using body mass index (BMI) and clustering analysis.

Material And Methods: Baseline data on individuals with T1D were pooled from two studies. A post hoc analysis of health-related quality of life, measured using the 36-item Short-Form questionnaire, was performed, referenced to the 2010 US general population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metabolic bariatric surgery remains the most effective and durable treatment for severe obesity. Women of reproductive age represent the largest demographic group undergoing these procedures. Metabolic bariatric surgery can have both beneficial and adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is identified as a new satiety signal that works through the GFRAL receptor in the brain, and bitter compounds can trigger GDF15 expression in response to gut stress related to obesity.
  • * A study tested the effects of the bitter drug hydroxychloroquine on plasma GDF15 levels, finding that it increased GDF15 and reduced hunger in healthy participants.
  • * Results indicate that various bitter compounds influence GDF15 expression in gut cells, and this process is affected by specific taste receptors (TAS2Rs) and obesity-related factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterised by insulin deficiency. Due to perceived physical activity (PA)-related hypoglycaemia, a minority of people with T1DM exercise regularly. However, the relationship between T1DM and PA remains poorly understood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding healthcare professionals' perceptions and approaches to obesity management is limited, as are the barriers impeding effective care. A questionnaire was developed to explore the perception, and barriers to obesity management. To ensure content validity, an expert and stakeholder panel evaluated the relevance and comprehension of each item.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Lymphoedema is a chronic and progressive disease characterised by excessive accumulation of lymph in the interstitial compartment, leading to tissue swelling and fibroadipose deposition. Lymphangiogenesis is partly regulated by ketone body oxidation, and a ketogenic diet (KD) has shown therapeutic efficacy in a preclinical mouse tail lymphoedema model. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic effect of a KD in patients with secondary lymphoedema.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Major advances have been made in obesity treatment, focusing on restoring disturbances along the gut-brain axis. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a neuromodulatory signaling system, present along the entire gut-brain axis, that plays a critical role in central and peripheral regulation of food intake and body weight. Evidence on the impact of weight loss on the ECS is, however, more limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes by inducing weight loss and augmenting gut hormone secretion, the immediate effect on beta-cell function itself remains to be elucidated in type 2 diabetes. Therefore, a prospective, randomized trial was performed in 30 patients with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes and a body mass index ≥ 35 kg/m. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in combination with protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF), or to PSMF alone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims/hypothesis: Type 1 diabetes is an heterogenous condition. Characterising factors explaining differences in an individual's clinical course and treatment response will have important clinical and research implications. Our aim was to explore type 1 diabetes heterogeneity, as assessed by clinical characteristics, autoantibodies, beta cell function and glycaemic outcomes, during the first 12 months from diagnosis, and how it relates to age at diagnosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The pathophysiology of obesity has been the product of extensive research, revealing multiple interconnected mechanisms contributing to body weight regulation. The regulation of energy balance involves an intricate network, including the gut-neuroendocrine interplay. As a consequence, research on the gut-brain-microbiota axis in obesity has grown extensively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • CFTR modulator therapies, like elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor, enhance respiratory function and glycaemic control in cystic fibrosis patients, but their effects on pancreatic function in those without diabetes remain uncertain.
  • A case study of an 18-year-old female with cystic fibrosis, who developed hypoglycaemia after starting CFTR therapy, indicates that these treatments may influence glucose regulation even in non-diabetic patients.
  • Managing diet, particularly by avoiding high glycaemic index foods, helped reduce her hypoglycaemic episodes, suggesting CFTR modulator therapies could impact insulin secretion and insulin resistance in cystic fibrosis patients. *
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Stem cells are a keystone of intestinal homeostasis, but their function could be shifted during energy imbalance or by crosstalk with microbial metabolites in the stem cell niche. This study reports the effect of obesity and microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on intestinal stem cell (ISC) fate in human crypt-derived intestinal organoids (enteroids). ISC fate decision was impaired in obesity, resulting in smaller enteroids with less outward protruding crypts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Precision medicine is an evolving approach in healthcare that aims to enhance decision-making and health outcomes, particularly in managing diabetes, which poses serious health risks for millions globally.
  • The second international consensus report on precision diabetes medicine reviews current findings on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis across different forms of diabetes, highlighting the potential for translating research into clinical practice.
  • The report also identifies knowledge gaps and sets out key milestones for better clinical implementation, emphasizing the need for standards addressing cost-effectiveness, health equity, and accessibility in treatment options.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Obesity is recognized by the World Health Organization as a chronic disease. As such, it should be referred to using the language of chronic diseases, with correct and established terminology and definitions. This study was designed to map the current language used to discuss obesity and to compare this with the standard language used for chronic disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Healthy adipose tissue (AT) contains ST2+ Tregs, ILC2s, and alternatively activated macrophages that are lost in mice or humans on high caloric diet. Understanding how this form of type 2 immunity is regulated could improve treatment of obesity. The STE20 kinase Thousand And One amino acid Kinase-3 (TAOK3) has been linked to obesity in mice and humans, but its precise function is unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess how carbohydrate intake before laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) impacts weight, body composition, and blood sugar levels post-surgery.
  • Patients were divided into two groups based on their carbohydrate intake: moderate (26%-45%) and high (>45%) and evaluated at various times after the surgery.
  • One year later, both groups showed no significant differences in weight or diabetes status, even though the high carbohydrate group consumed fewer calories and carbohydrates after the surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The metabolic health of urban Ugandans, mostly females, is increasingly becoming sub-optimal.

Objectives: We assessed the effect of a complex lifestyle intervention, based on a small change approach, on metabolic health among females of reproductive age in urban Uganda.

Methods: A cluster randomized controlled two-arm trial with a 1:1 allocation involving church communities in Kampala (Uganda) was undertaken.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The evidence from clinical trials concerning the efficacy of dietary polyphenols on cardiometabolic health is divergent. Therefore, this review aimed to determine the pooled effect of dietary polyphenols on cardiometabolic risk markers and compare the difference in efficacy between whole polyphenol-rich foods and purified food polyphenol extracts. We conducted a random-effect model meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effect of polyphenols on blood pressure, lipid profile, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), fasting blood glucose (FBG), waist circumference, and markers of inflammation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Bariatric surgery, currently the most effective treatment for morbidly obese patients, may induce macronutrient malabsorption depending on the type of procedure. Macronutrient malabsorption affects the supply of substrates to the colon, subsequent microbial fermentation and possibly colonic health.

Methods: Using isotope technology, we quantified the extent of macronutrient and bile acid malabsorption and its impact on colonic protein fermentation in patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and in controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF