A higher meal frequency may be associated with diminished weight loss after bariatric surgery

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between meal frequency, the occurrence of vomiting and weight loss among patients submitted to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass up to 9 months after surgery.

Female patients (n = 80) were followed at 3-month intervals for 9 months. Weight, BMI, 24-hour dietary recall, drug consumption and vomiting episodes were recorded and compared with nutritional outcome.

The BMI values at 3, 6 and 9 months were 45.1 +/- 9.7, 39.9 +/- 7.6 and 35.4 +/- 8.2 kg/m(2), respectively. The corresponding choleric intakes were 535.6 +/- 295.7, 677.1 +/- 314.7 and 828.6 +/- 398.2 kcal/day, and the numbers of daily meals were 5.0 +/- 2.5, 4.7 +/- 1.8 and 4.9 +/- 1.0, respectively. The peak of vomiting episodes occurred within 6 months; however, patients tolerated this complication despite its high prevalence. A significant negative correlation between weight loss and diet fractioning, but not vomiting, was observed throughout the entire postoperative period (P = 0.001).

1) Frequent small meals were associated with a reduction in weight loss after gastric bypass and a decrease in vomiting episodes at 6 months, and 2) vomiting did not interfere with nutritional outcome. Unless required because of vomiting or other reasons, multiple small meals may not be advantageous after such intervention.