Snack-eating patients experience lesser weight loss after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery

In bariatric surgery patients, weight loss and long-term weight maintenance are related to food intake and eating patterns. To improve the diet orientation in the bariatric surgery postoperative period, we assessed the postoperative eating patterns and related them to weight loss.

This was a transversal, analytical, and descriptive study that assessed body mass index (BMI) values and percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) in patients who had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) surgery. The eating pattern and energy intake were investigated based on data collected through a 4-day food intake record. From these records, we assessed the number of daily meals, the quantity of food per meal, and calorie value of snacks between main meals. Based on these records, patients were classified under sweet-eating, snack-eating, or normal-eating patterns.

Seventy-five patients met our inclusion criteria. The normal-eating pattern group was the one with the greatest weight loss with an average %EWL of 71.4 +/- 21%, followed by the sweet-eating pattern with 69.9 +/- 16.8%, and the snack-eating pattern with 56.4 +/- 16.7%. This difference was significant only between the first and the third group (p = 0.04). The snack-eating patients had the highest caloric intake and highest number of daily meals (p < 0.01).

Postoperative eating pattern influenced postbariatric surgery weight loss. In the present study, the snack-eating pattern was associated with the worst weight loss outcome, followed by the sweet-eating and normal-eating patterns. A screening and a differential approach to patients according to their eating patterns may lead to better results of weight loss.