Preoperative Binge Eating and Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Several studies have investigated if bariatric surgery candidates with binge eating disorder (BED) are at risk for suboptimal postoperative weight loss. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between binge eating diagnosed preoperatively and weight loss after bariatric surgery.

MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, LILACS, and other specialized databases were searched on August 2020. Clinical trials and observational studies including individuals who had undergone any type of bariatric surgical treatment with preoperative evaluation of BED and at least one postoperative measure of weight were initially selected. Four reviewers independently screened for eligibility. The mean difference was calculated using the random-effects model.

Nineteen studies, comprising 3223 participants (80.25% women; median age 41 years), met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. At 6 months postoperative, the percentage of total weight loss (%TWL) was not significantly different between BED and non-BED groups [6 studies, 914 participants: - 0.75% (95% CI, - 2.79 to 1.29; I² = 0%)], even when analyzing only those three studies that included gold standard assessment tools. No significant differences were found at 12, 24, 36, or 60 months.

Pre-bariatric BED seems to have little or no influence on weight loss after surgery. However, many questions remain unanswered because of the use of different measures across studies. The heterogeneity among studies emphasizes the importance of investigators using the same assessment measures.