Factors affecting the duration required for meal intake among postgastrectomy patients

Patients who had undergone gastrectomy often feel tired during meals as it takes longer for them to consume their meals, as compared to the length preoperatively. We aimed to clarify the factors affecting the duration required for food intake in this population.

Participants enrolled in the study were patients who underwent total gastrectomy (TG) or distal gastrectomy (DG) within the past 5 years. We provided them with questionnaire using the mailing method. The following items were included in the questionnaire: demographics, treatment, total duration taken for three meals, meal contents, nutritional status, and Dysfunction After Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery 20 (DAUGS20) score. The participants were divided into the long duration group (LG) and short duration group (SG) of total meal duration. To compare the groups, a binomial logistic regression analysis was performed.

Among the 316 participants identified, those in the middle meal intake duration group and the outlier group of over 180 min were excluded. A total of 57 and 95 participants were enrolled in the LG (101-180 min, mean: 125.4 min [SD 16.1 min]) and SG (30-60 min, mean: 52.7 min [SD 8.9 min]), respectively. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.092; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.042; 1.145; p < 0.001), BMI (OR: 0.783; 95% CI: 0.675; 0.908; p = 0.001), and surgical type (TG/DG) (OR: 0.423; 95% CI: 0.190; 0.945; p = 0.036) were determined to be factors affecting the duration required for food intake.

The major factors for longer food intake duration were older age, lower BMI, and surgical type. Older people and individuals with a lower presurgery BMI were more likely to be included in the LG, which suggests that these factors could be associated with physical weakness, such as sarcopenia. Moreover, TG surgical type was more likely to cause a narrower gastrointestinal tract, especially in the area of anastomosis, which prolongs the food passage duration. For better QOL, postgastrectomy patients must be provided with knowledge on not only diet and nutrition but also efficient meal-taking, focusing on the physical decline associated with older age and lower BMI.