Why alcohol use can increase after bariatric (weight-loss) surgery
Official title: Biobehavioral Mechanistic Model of Alcohol Use Following Bariatric Surgery: The BREW ME Model
Funded at Sanford Research North · NIH-11190847 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether changes in gut bacteria and brain reward after bariatric surgery make alcohol more rewarding for people who have had the operation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanford Research North NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Fargo, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $701,314 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA031237-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11190847 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have undergone or are planning to undergo metabolic/bariatric surgery and who are willing to provide clinical information and biological samples would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who never had bariatric surgery or whose alcohol use is driven entirely by social or non-biological factors may not benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
If you've had bariatric surgery, researchers will explore how your gut microbiome and brain reward responses change after the operation and how those changes might make drinking feel more rewarding. The team will combine data from animal models and clinical work to link microbiome shifts with drinking behavior and brain signals. They will collect behavioral data, measure microbes in the gut, and examine neurobiological pathways to build a mechanistic model called BREW ME. The goal is to explain why some patients develop hazardous alcohol use after surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify patients at higher risk for alcohol problems after bariatric surgery and point to ways to prevent or treat those problems.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown increased alcohol problems after bariatric surgery and early links between the microbiome and brain reward, but integrating these findings into a causal model is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Sanford Research North
Fargo, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Engel, Scott G — Sanford Research North
- Study coordinator: Engel, Scott G
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.