Do preoperative eating behaviors influence weight loss after biliopancreatic diversion?

The presence of disturbed eating patterns can affect the short- and long-term outcomes after bariatric surgery. Data about the influence of preoperative eating patterns on outcomes after biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) are lacking. The aim of the present study was to assess the role of preoperative eating behavior in patients' selection for biliopancreatic diversion.

Sixty-one consecutive patients who underwent BPD were evaluated for the present study. For each patient, the following preoperative eating patterns were evaluated: sweet eating, snacking, hyperphagia, and gorging. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) at 3, 6, and 12 months in the groups of patients with different eating patterns at the preoperative evaluation.

At the preoperative evaluation, snacking was found in 31 patients (50.8 %), sweet eating in 15 patients (24.6 %), hyperphagia in 48 patients (78.7 %), and gorging in 45 patients (73.8 %). For each eating behavior, there was no significant difference in mean preoperative BMI and weight loss at 3, 6, and 12 months between the group of patients with and the group of patients without the eating pattern considered. At the analysis of variance in the four groups of patients presenting the eating patterns considered, there was no difference in mean preoperative BMI (P = 0.66), %EWL at 3 months (P = 0.62), %EWL at 6 months (P = 0.94), and %EWL at 12 months (P = 0.95).

Preoperative eating behaviors do not represent reliable outcome predictors for BPD, and they should not be used as a selection criterion for patients who are candidates to this operation.