Alcohol consumption patterns up to 10 years after bariatric surgery : using the highly specific biomarker phosphatidylethanol
(2026) In Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases- Abstract
AbstractBackgroundThe increasing prevalence of obesity has led to a rise in bariatric surgery as an effective intervention for weight loss and associated co-morbidities. However, concerns persist regarding increased alcohol consumption after surgery.ObjectivesTo objectively assess long-term changes in alcohol use after bariatric surgery, we used the highly specific alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol (PEth).SettingKalmar County Hospital, Sweden.MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study included 1238 patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy at Kalmar County Hospital from 2010 to 2020. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts based on preoperative PEth sampling (n = 327 with, n = 911 without). PEth levels were... (More)
AbstractBackgroundThe increasing prevalence of obesity has led to a rise in bariatric surgery as an effective intervention for weight loss and associated co-morbidities. However, concerns persist regarding increased alcohol consumption after surgery.ObjectivesTo objectively assess long-term changes in alcohol use after bariatric surgery, we used the highly specific alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol (PEth).SettingKalmar County Hospital, Sweden.MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study included 1238 patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy at Kalmar County Hospital from 2010 to 2020. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts based on preoperative PEth sampling (n = 327 with, n = 911 without). PEth levels were measured before surgery and at intervals up to 10 years postoperatively, using .30 μmol/L (approximately 210 ng/mL) as the threshold for heavy alcohol use.ResultsMean PEth concentrations increased from .07 to .38 μmol/L (P < .001) in men and from .06 to .11 μmol/L nonsignificantly in women. The proportion of patients that postoperatively exceeded the heavy drinking threshold rose significantly over time. At 5 years, 37.5% of men and 4.8% of women had PEth values above .30 μmol/L (both P < .001). Men were at significantly higher risk (odds ratio: 7.89, 95% confidence interval: 3.76–16.57; P < .001). This pattern remained consistent at the 10-year follow-up.ConclusionsAlcohol consumption, as measured by PEth, increased significantly after bariatric surgery, particularly in men. These findings support routine postoperative alcohol screening and suggest incorporating PEth testing into long-term follow-up protocols.
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- author
- Berggren, Johan LU ; Lindqvist, Andreas LU ; Isaksson, Anders LU ; Hedenbro, Jan LU and Wierup, Nils LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Alcohol, Alcohol after bariatric surgery, Gastric bypass, PEth, RYGB, SG, Sleeve gastrectomy
- in
- Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:41862348
- scopus:105034686945
- ISSN
- 1550-7289
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.soard.2026.02.011
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2026 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- id
- 07446c75-1e00-42c5-ac82-7c990e812e3b
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-18 12:53:14
- date last changed
- 2026-07-31 22:23:07
@article{07446c75-1e00-42c5-ac82-7c990e812e3b,
abstract = {{<p>AbstractBackgroundThe increasing prevalence of obesity has led to a rise in bariatric surgery as an effective intervention for weight loss and associated co-morbidities. However, concerns persist regarding increased alcohol consumption after surgery.ObjectivesTo objectively assess long-term changes in alcohol use after bariatric surgery, we used the highly specific alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol (PEth).SettingKalmar County Hospital, Sweden.MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study included 1238 patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy at Kalmar County Hospital from 2010 to 2020. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts based on preoperative PEth sampling (n = 327 with, n = 911 without). PEth levels were measured before surgery and at intervals up to 10 years postoperatively, using .30 μmol/L (approximately 210 ng/mL) as the threshold for heavy alcohol use.ResultsMean PEth concentrations increased from .07 to .38 μmol/L (P < .001) in men and from .06 to .11 μmol/L nonsignificantly in women. The proportion of patients that postoperatively exceeded the heavy drinking threshold rose significantly over time. At 5 years, 37.5% of men and 4.8% of women had PEth values above .30 μmol/L (both P < .001). Men were at significantly higher risk (odds ratio: 7.89, 95% confidence interval: 3.76–16.57; P < .001). This pattern remained consistent at the 10-year follow-up.ConclusionsAlcohol consumption, as measured by PEth, increased significantly after bariatric surgery, particularly in men. These findings support routine postoperative alcohol screening and suggest incorporating PEth testing into long-term follow-up protocols.</p>}},
author = {{Berggren, Johan and Lindqvist, Andreas and Isaksson, Anders and Hedenbro, Jan and Wierup, Nils}},
issn = {{1550-7289}},
keywords = {{Alcohol; Alcohol after bariatric surgery; Gastric bypass; PEth; RYGB; SG; Sleeve gastrectomy}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases}},
title = {{Alcohol consumption patterns up to 10 years after bariatric surgery : using the highly specific biomarker phosphatidylethanol}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soard.2026.02.011}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.soard.2026.02.011}},
year = {{2026}},
}