Background

Food preferences and cravings change following bariatric surgery; however, little research has examined differences by surgery type in the first post-operative year. This study's objective was to examine changes in food cravings during the first year following bariatric surgery and to identify any differences between those undergoing sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

Methods

Patients scheduled to undergo either SG or RYGB were prospectively enrolled and completed the Food Craving Inventory-II (FCI) preoperatively and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperative. Inclusion criteria consisted of complete FCI data pre and postoperative. Food cravings were categorized as sweets, carbohydrates/starches, high fats, and fast-food fats. The level of craving was based on a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon sign rank and rank sum tests, and Spearman Correlation.

Results

206 patients completed a preoperative FCI; (99 RYGB and 105 SG). Overall, 84% were women; the mean age was 46.3+-11.9 years. Overall preoperative (n=204) and 12-month (n=49) BMI were 46.7+-6.9 and 31.5+-6.1 kg/m2, respectively. A significant decrease in food cravings was observed from pre to 12-months postoperative in both groups; however, no differences were noted when comparing RYGB to SG (Table). Modest correlations between 3-month excess weight loss and changes in fast food (r= -.19; p=0.019) and sweet food craving were observed (r= -0.16; p=0.046).

Conclusions

Both RYGB and SG resulted in decreased food craving frequencies based on a prospective study using a validated survey. No differences were observed for RYGB versus SG at 1-year post-operative.