Preoperative high respiratory quotient correlates with lower weight loss after bariatric surgery

Background The respiratory coefficient (RQ), as determined by indirect calorimetry (IC), classifies diet as being carbohydrate rich (RQ = 0.7–0.8), fat rich (RQ = 0.9–1.0), or overfeeding (RQ > 1). We hypothesized that preoperative RQ may be associated with weight-loss outcomes after bariatric surgery.