Clinical Guideline Bodies
These organizations publish the clinical practice guidelines and position statements that define the standard of care in bariatric surgery. Their guidance is the primary foundation for content across this site.
American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS)
The primary professional organization for bariatric surgeons and the bariatric care team in the United States. Publishes clinical practice guidelines, nutritional guidelines, position statements, and outcome data that define the national standard of care. The ASMBS Nutritional Guidelines for the Surgical Weight Loss Patient (Mechanick et al.) is the most-cited single source across this site.
Used across: All pages — surgical criteria, nutritional protocols, supplement standards, complication definitions, long-term care
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)
A joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and ASMBS that accredits bariatric surgical centers and tracks national outcome data. MBSAQIP accreditation status is the primary quality signal this site directs patients to verify before choosing a program. Mortality and complication rates cited on this site are drawn from MBSAQIP participant use file data.
Used across: Choosing A Center, Complications, Real Questions (mortality data), Before Surgery
American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) / The Obesity Society (TOS)
Co-authors with ASMBS of the joint Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Perioperative Nutritional, Metabolic, and Nonsurgical Support of Patients Undergoing Bariatric Procedures (Mechanick et al.). This multi-society guideline is the single most comprehensive evidence-based bariatric care document available and is the backbone of nutritional, supplementation, and metabolic content on this site.
Used across: Nutrition Foundations, Supplement Deep Dive, Pre-Op Preparation, Long-Term Care
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
ACOG Committee Opinion and Practice Bulletin guidance on pregnancy following bariatric surgery — including recommended conception timing, nutritional monitoring during pregnancy, contraceptive guidance, and gestational diabetes screening modifications. Primary source for the Pregnancy section of Special Topics.
Used across: Special Topics (Pregnancy), Life After Surgery
U.S. Government Health Resources
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
The NIH institute that funds and publishes research on bariatric surgery outcomes, metabolic disease, and digestive conditions. NIDDK patient-facing publications on weight loss surgery, nutritional deficiencies, and long-term outcomes inform multiple pages. The LABS (Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery) consortium data cited on the Weight Regain page is an NIDDK-funded multi-center study.
Used across: Weight Regain (LABS data), Complications, Nutrition Foundations, Long-Term Care
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Office for Civil Rights (HHS/OCR)
The federal office that administers and enforces HIPAA — the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The Patient Advocacy page cites 45 CFR §164.524, the specific federal regulation governing patient rights to access their own medical records, including the 30-day response requirement and fee limitations. The statutory citations on that page are drawn directly from HHS/OCR published guidance.
Used across: Patient Advocacy (HIPAA rights, records access, 45 CFR §164.524)
National Institutes of Health (NIH) — MedlinePlus
NIH's consumer health information portal, curating reviewed medical content for patient audiences. Used as a secondary reference for supplement pharmacology, medication absorption, and general nutritional biochemistry — particularly for content that bridges clinical guideline language and patient-readable explanation.
Used across: Supplement Deep Dive, Nutrition Foundations, Special Topics (Medications)
Key Research & Journals
The following peer-reviewed studies and journals are the primary research sources for specific clinical claims on this site. Where a claim is drawn from a specific landmark study, that study is named.
Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD)
The official journal of ASMBS. The primary peer-reviewed publication for bariatric surgical research, outcome studies, and clinical guidelines. Surgical complication rates, nutritional deficiency prevalence, and procedure comparison data cited on this site are drawn from studies published in SOARD.
soard.org ↗The Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study — Sjöström et al.
The longest-running prospective controlled study of bariatric surgery outcomes. Published across multiple landmark papers in the New England Journal of Medicine (2004, 2007, 2012) and JAMA, the SOS study provides the foundational long-term outcome data for mortality reduction, diabetes remission, cardiovascular risk reduction, and quality of life improvements following bariatric surgery. Key findings on long-term weight maintenance and regain cited on the Weight Regain page are drawn from this dataset.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) Consortium
An NIDDK-funded multi-center prospective study tracking bariatric outcomes across U.S. academic centers. The LABS consortium data is the primary U.S. source for long-term weight regain patterns (King et al., JAMA Surgery, 2018), complication rates, and behavioral predictors of outcome. The 5–10% average regain figure cited on the Weight Regain page is drawn from LABS data.
niddk.nih.gov/labs ↗Conason et al. — Substance Use Following Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
Archives of Surgery, 2013. The landmark study documenting increased alcohol and substance use in the years following bariatric surgery — establishing the evidence base for what the field now calls transfer addiction or addiction transfer. The finding that alcohol use disorder risk is elevated in post-bariatric patients, with onset typically in years two through five, is drawn from this study and cited on the Special Topics and Life After Surgery pages.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Dawes et al. — Mental Health Conditions Among Patients Seeking Bariatric Surgery
JAMA Surgery, 2016. A systematic review and meta-analysis of mental health outcomes in bariatric patients, including depression, anxiety, and suicide risk longitudinal data. Findings on depression worsening in years two through four post-surgery — cited on the Life After Surgery page — are consistent with the patterns documented in this review.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Stein et al. — Bone Loss After Bariatric Surgery
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Research documenting accelerated bone density loss following bariatric surgery — particularly after gastric bypass — due to calcium and vitamin D malabsorption. The basis for DEXA scan monitoring recommendations, calcium citrate specificity, and PTH monitoring guidance on the Aging With Bariatric Surgery section.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Tack & Arts — Pathophysiology of Dumping Syndrome After Bariatric Procedures
Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The mechanism review underlying the dumping syndrome content on this site — early dumping (osmotic shift, rapid gastric emptying) and late dumping (reactive hypoglycemia) both explained, along with the sugar alcohol (maltitol) problem addressed on the Nutrition and Myth vs Reality pages.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Major Medical Center Resources
Patient education and clinical guidance published by major academic medical centers with established bariatric programs. These institutions maintain bariatric surgery programs with outcome data, published dietary protocols, and patient-facing resources reviewed by their bariatric care teams.
Mayo Clinic
Bariatric surgery patient education, dietary progression protocols, and long-term dietary guidance. Mayo Clinic's bariatric nutrition guidelines are among the most detailed publicly available and inform diet progression and nutrition content.
mayoclinic.org ↗Cleveland Clinic
Bariatric and metabolic surgery program resources including procedure comparisons, nutritional guidance, supplement protocols, and complication recognition. Cleveland Clinic's bariatric dietitian-reviewed content is among the most clinically detailed in the public domain.
clevelandclinic.org ↗Johns Hopkins Medicine
Bariatric surgery program clinical resources, procedural information, and patient education — particularly informing procedure comparison content and the candidacy criteria used on this site.
hopkinsmedicine.org ↗UCSF Health — Bariatric Surgery Program
UCSF's bariatric program is one of the highest-volume and most research-active in the country. UCSF clinical resources and published research inform complication recognition protocols and long-term outcome content.
ucsfhealth.org ↗Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai's bariatric and minimally invasive surgery program resources, including detailed patient preparation protocols and post-operative dietary guidance aligned with ASMBS standards.
mountsinai.org ↗Stanford Medicine — Bariatric Surgery
Stanford's weight loss surgery program resources and published outcomes research, particularly informing the hormonal mechanism content for ghrelin reduction after sleeve gastrectomy and metabolic outcomes after bypass.
stanfordhealthcare.org ↗How This Site Uses Its Sources
The Bariatric Blue Book is a patient education resource, not a clinical publication. It does not publish original research. Every factual claim on this site — surgical candidacy criteria, nutritional protocols, complication warning signs, medication interactions, long-term outcome statistics — is drawn from the published guidelines, peer-reviewed research, and academic medical center resources listed above.
Where clinical guidance has evolved, this site follows the most current available ASMBS and multi-society guidelines. Where reasonable disagreement exists in the literature, that uncertainty is acknowledged rather than hidden.
This site does not receive funding from pharmaceutical companies, supplement manufacturers, device companies, or bariatric surgical programs. Affiliate relationships, where they exist, are disclosed in the footer. No commercial relationship influences clinical content.
For Providers and Researchers
If you are a bariatric provider, dietitian, or researcher who has identified a factual error, an outdated guideline reference, or a claim that does not reflect current evidence — please reach out. This site is built to be accurate and maintained. Corrections from qualified reviewers are welcome and will be addressed promptly. The goal is a resource patients can trust. That requires accountability.