Associations of Computerized Tomography-Based Body Composition and Food Insecurity in Bariatric Surgery Patients

Area of Science:

• Obesity Medicine
• Nutritional Science
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Food insecurity (FI) is linked to increased adiposity and obesity-related conditions.
• Body composition significantly influences metabolic risk.
• Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for obesity and metabolic diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between food insecurity and baseline body composition using CT scans.
• To evaluate the impact of food insecurity on bariatric surgery outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 54 adults undergoing bariatric surgery with preoperative CT scans.
• Food security assessed via a six-item survey; body composition measured by CT and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
• Skeletal muscle, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat areas quantified from CT scans.

Main Results:

• Food insecure patients (26%) exhibited lower skeletal muscle and higher subcutaneous fat areas on CT compared to food secure patients.
• No significant differences in baseline BIA measurements between the groups.
• Similar weight loss, medication reduction, and healthcare utilization at 6 and 12 months post-surgery for both groups.

Conclusions:

• Food insecurity is associated with less favorable body composition (lower muscle, higher fat) detected by CT, but not BIA, prior to bariatric surgery.
• AI-enhanced CT analysis provides more precise body composition data.
• Food insecurity did not negatively affect bariatric surgery outcomes in this study.