Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Key Points

• Variations in circulating hormones involved in the regulation of energy balance are usually considered to explain the effects of bariatric surgery beyond the restrictive mechanism.

• GDF15 is a molecule with anorectic action hypothesized to be modulated by gastric bypass and involved in surgical weight loss.

• Evidence on this topic is limited, and the effect of sleeve gastrectomy on GDF15 in humans is not clearly defined.

• Sleeve gastrectomy increases GDF15 plasma levels only in patients without metabolic syndrome (MetS), while the presence of MetS dampens the effect of surgery, despite the higher hormone concentrations of this cohort at baseline.