Research
Adherence
Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) significantly improves self-esteem, body image, and health-related quality of life, with the greatest gains occurring within the first 12 months post-surgery.
Expect a significant boost in self-esteem and quality of life within the first year after surgery. Be prepared for a period where your external appearance changes faster than your internal self-image, which can cause temporary discomfort.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Following MBS, patients often experience a range of psychosocial changes... weight loss and positive reinforcement from others frequently lead to enhanced self-esteem and body image... self-esteem scores... increased from a mean of 33.6 preoperatively to 77.5 at 12 months post-surgery.
Why this rating
Based on a narrative review of multiple cohorts and prospective studies, not a single high-quality RCT.
Source
The Implications of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery on Psychosocial and Relational Health: A Narrative Review
Tommaso Dionisi et al. · Obesity Surgery · 2025
DOI 10.1007/s11695-025-08193-w
narrative_review
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- MBS is associated with a higher risk of divorce or separation compared to the general population, particularly within the first five years post-surgery.Moderate
- MBS leads to marked improvements in sexual function for both men and women, including increased libido, erectile function, and hormonal normalization, typically within the first 12 months.Moderate
- Family involvement and structured family therapy significantly enhance postoperative weight loss, adherence, and psychosocial outcomes.Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →