Modification of insulin, glucose and cholesterol levels in nonobese women undergoing liposuction: is liposuction metabolically safe?

An open autocontrolled clinical study was performed on 15 healthy nonobese women who underwent liposuction to establish how metabolic profiles are modified in the short-term postsurgical period. Preoperative glucose, insulin, and cholesterol levels were determined. Also, impedancometry was used to determinate body composition. After 3 postoperative weeks, the levels and determinations were again tested. The results demonstrated a significant difference in glucose, cholesterol, insulin secretion, and adiposity, but insulin levels, glucose-insulin relationship, and insulin sensitivity remained unaltered. From the results of this study, we consider liposuction to be a safe surgical procedure from a metabolic point of view because it improves the levels of cholesterol, glucose, and insulin secretion and at the same time decreases adiposity. Therefore, in the short term, liposuction can modify important markers for the development of type II diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease.