Food Addiction Disorder 2 Years After Sleeve Gastrectomy; Association with Physical Activity, Body Composition, and Weight Loss Outcomes

Purpose: Food addiction (FA) following bariatric surgery (BS) has received a burst of attention in recent years due to its important contribution to obesity. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the prevalence of FA disorder and its predictors 2 years after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and assess its relationship with physical activity (PA), body composition, and weight outcomes.

Materials and methods: Four hundred fifty individuals who had undergone LSG 2 years prior to the study were enrolled. FA was diagnosed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). The collected data included body composition (fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM)), PA, and nutritional intakes.

Results: Eighty-nine subjects (about 20%) met the criteria for FA disorder. FA patients had significantly lower PA (p = 0.04) and higher weight (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001), FM, and FFM (p = 0.01) compared to those without FA. Regarding weight and body composition changes, the finding reveals that FA patients (vs. non-FA) had a significantly less excess weight loss (EWL%) (p < 0.001) and total weight loss (TWL%) (p = 0.05) as well as a higher FFM loss (kg) (p = 0.04) (linear regression analysis). A younger age (p trend = 0.01), higher BMI (p trend = 0.04), and more excess weight (p trend = 0.03) were related to higher odds of FA disorder at second year after LSG (logistic regression analysis).

Conclusion: The results showed that FA was highly prevalent 2 years after LSG. In addition, FA disorder was associated with negative long-term outcomes following LSG. Younger individuals with more excess weight and higher BMI at baseline are more vulnerable to FA.