The combination of bariatric surgery and physical exercise has been suggested as a promising strategy to positively influence obesity, not only body weight but also all associated comorbidities. An electronic search of intervention studies was carried out in which an exercise training program was implemented after bariatric surgery. The quality of each study was assessed and the data were meta-analyzed using a random effect model. Twenty-six articles were included in the systematic review and 16 in the meta-analysis. As the main conclusion, exercise in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery does not seem to be effective in enhancing weight loss (SMD = 0.15; 95% CI = - 0.02, 0.32; p = 0.094). However, the variability in the protocols used makes it too early to reach a definite conclusion.
Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Exercise; Physical activity; Weight loss.