Photo Credit: Rudzhan Nagiev

A study published in Cureus explored the impact of vertical sleeve gastrectomy on excess weight loss (EWL) and eating behaviors, including food addiction, disinhibition, susceptibility to hunger, dietary restraint, and weight concern. Maxime Legendre, PsyD, and colleagues gathered data on 76 participants who underwent surgery at a healthcare center in Canada. Eight months after surgery, the participants’ mean EWL was 63.43% ±13.14. The researchers observed significant reductions in food addiction, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger (P=0.001-0.005), while dietary restraint and weight concerns remained unchanged. There was a negative correlation between pre-surgery BMI and EWL (r=-0.45). Additionally, food addiction and dietary restraint showed a negative correlation before surgery (r=-0.42) but a positive correlation post-surgery (r=0.35). The researchers concluded that while vertical sleeve gastrectomy effectively reduced maladaptive eating behaviors and led to weight reductions, patients’ weight concerns persisted. The authors emphasized the importance of ongoing medical follow-up focusing on lifestyle adaptation and overall well-being for sustained outcome improvements after surgery.