19 Nov Eating Behaviors Predict Long Term Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Hanna Konttinen, PhD, Docent
Post-doctoral researcher
Department of Social Research
University of Helsinki

Medical Research: What is the background for this study?

Dr. Konttinen: Bariatric surgery yields significant weight reduction for the majority
of severely obese individuals with accompanied improvements in health
status and health-related quality of life. Nonetheless, slow weight
regain over time is frequent and there is a need for a better
understanding on the factors that influence long-term post-surgical
weight outcomes. To our best knowledge, this was the first study to
examine whether psychological aspects of eating behavior predicted
weight changes 10 years after surgical and conventional treatment for
severe obesity.

The participants were from the Swedish Obese Subjects intervention
study: 2010 obese subjects who underwent bariatric surgery and 1916
contemporaneously matched obese controls who received conventional
treatment.

Medical Research: What are the main findings?

Dr. Konttinen: Eating behaviors measured prior to surgery were unrelated to later
weight changes. However, problems in the regulation of eating shortly
after the surgery predicted short- and long-term weight outcomes.
Surgically treated patients who reported more subjective feelings of
hunger and higher tendency to eat in response to various cues (e.g.,
scent and sight of food, negative affects) at 6-month and 1-year
follow-ups lost significantly less weight 2, 6 and 10 years after the
operation.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Konttinen: The present findings imply that especially the first year following
the bariatric surgery is a critical period for monitoring patients’
eating behaviors in order to recognize those who need more intensive
post-surgical support and counseling.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Konttinen: An important objective for further research is to clarify how patients
who experience post-surgical problems in the regulation of eating can
be best supported to obtain better long-term improvements in physical
and mental well-being.

Psychological aspects of eating behavior as predictors of 10-y weight
changes after surgical and conventional treatment of severe obesity:
results from the Swedish Obese Subjects intervention study
Citation:

Psychological aspects of eating behavior as predictors of 10-y weight changes after surgical and conventional treatment of severe obesity: results from the Swedish Obese Subjects intervention study
Hanna Konttinen, Markku Peltonen, Lars Sjöström, Lena Carlsson, and Jan Karlsson
Am J Clin Nutr 2015 ajcn.095182; First published online November 12, 2014. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.095182

Last Updated on November 19, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD