Food Preferences and Their Perceived Changes Before and After Bariatric Surgery: a Cross-sectional Study

Changes in food preferences, taste, and smell following bariatric surgery have been previously described but with inconsistent results. We aimed to describe current food preferences and their perceived changes before and after the surgery. We further compared food preferences between patients with and without taste or smell alterations, before and above 2 years follow-up, and concerning the success or failure of their surgery.

This cross-sectional study was conducted with a self-administered online questionnaire. Two years was the cut-off between short- and long-term follow-up. Success was defined as an excess weight loss (EWL) greater or equal to 50%.

In total, 220 postoperative patients answered the questionnaire. Patients with taste alterations (64%) had significantly lower preferences for red meat, milk, cheese, desserts, fried foods, and water (all p < 0.05) relative to the non-taste alteration group, while those with smell alterations (38%) had significantly lower preference for cheese only (p < 0.05) relative to the non-smell alteration group. Patients with a ≥ 2-year follow-up had a higher liking for desserts, fried foods, fat, bread, hot drinks, and alcohol compared to patients with a < 2-year follow-up (all p < 0.05). Patients having success in surgery had higher liking scores for green vegetables and lower liking scores for starchy foods, milk, and sweet dairy products (all p < 0.05).

Our study suggests that patients who underwent bariatric surgery have different food preference patterns according to their sensory perceptions, the duration of their follow-up, and the success of bariatric surgery.