30 Apr Gastric Bypass Surgery: Changes in Appetite, Taste and Smell
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Mr. David Bowrey, MD FRCS (Gen Surg) MMedEd FHEA
Consultant General / Oesophagogastric Surgeon & Honorary Senior Lecturer, Dept Cancer Studies,
Training Programme Director for Core Surgery, East Midlands South
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust,
Leicester Royal Infirmary
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of this study?
Dr. Bowrey: Of 103 patients who had undergone Roux en Y gastric bypass surgery, changes in appetite, taste and smell were noted in 97%, 73% and 42% respectively. Seventy-three percent of patients developed aversions to certain types of foods, most frequently meat, starch and dairy produce. The change in taste sensation for the three common modalities of “sweet”, “salt” and “sour” was decreased in some patients and increased in other patients. Patients who experienced food aversions typically experienced more weight loss than patients not developing aversions.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Bowrey: Unexpected findings: the fact that some patients developed increased sensitivity and others decreased sensitivity was surprising.
MedicalResearch.com: What should patients and clinicians take away from this report?
Dr. Bowrey: Take home message: we now routinely counsel patients about change in taste and smell in the information giving sessions before surgery. We advise them that in some patients it will recover while in others, the changes might be permanent.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for further research as a result of your work?
Dr. Bowrey: Recommendations for future research: to identify the hormonal cause of the changes seen to see if medication to alter taste can be employed as a weight loss agent.
Citation:
Taste, Smell and Appetite Change After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery
Graham L, Murty G, Bowrey DJ
Obes Surg. 2014 Mar 8. [Epub ahead of print]
Last Updated on April 30, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD