Food Addiction and Binge Eating Impact on Weight Loss Outcomes Two Years Following Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggest that problematic eating behaviors such as food addiction (FA) and binge eating (BE) may alter following bariatric surgery (BS) and impact weight outcomes. We aimed to examine the prevalence of FA and BE and their associations with weight outcomes 2 years post-sleeve gastrectomy (SG). METHODS: Forty-five women (mean age 32.4 ± 10.9 years) who underwent SG and completed 24 months of follow-up were evaluated prospectively at pre-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month post-SG. Data collected included anthropometrics, nutritional intake, and lifestyle patterns. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and the Binge Eating Scale (BES) were used to characterize FA and BE, respectively. RESULTS: Pre-surgery FA and BE were identified in 40.0% and 46.7% of participants, respectively. Following SG, FA and BE prevalence was 10.0%, 5.0%, 29.4%, and 14.2% (P = 0.007), and 12.5%, 4.9%, 18.4%, and 19.4% (P < 0.001) at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Women with BE at baseline gained significantly more weight from the nadir compared to non-BE women at baseline (P = 0.009). There was no relationship between FA at baseline and weight (P = 0.090). Weight regained from the nadir positively correlated with BES scores at baseline (r = 0.374, P = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: FA and BE tend to decrease during the early postoperative period, but remains in a notable rates return by 2 years post-SG. Moreover, pre-surgical BE was related to higher weight-regain. Proper management pre-BS should include a comprehensive eating pathologies assessment, as these pathologies may remain or re-emerge post-surgery and lead to worse weight outcomes.

Food Addiction and Binge Eating During One Year Following Sleeve Gastrectomy: Prevalence and Implications for Postoperative Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Food addiction and binge eating are common among individuals with obesity. However, a paucity of studies prospectively examined the prevalence and implications of food addiction before and post-bariatric surgery. We aimed to examine the prevalence of food addiction and binge eating before and after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and to assess their associations with behavioral and weight loss outcomes. METHODS: We followed at 3 (M3), 6 (M6), and 12 (M12) months postoperative, 54 women who underwent SG. Data collected including anthropometrics, nutritional intake, food tolerance, and physical activity measures. The Yale Food Addiction Scale and the Binge Eating Scale were used to characterize food addiction and binge eating, respectively. RESULTS: The mean baseline age and BMI were 32.1 ± 11.1 years and 44.9 ± 4.9 kg/m2, respectively. Pre-surgery, food addiction, and binge eating were identified in 40.7% and 48.1% of patients, respectively. The prevalence of food addiction decreased significantly up to M6, but increased to 29.3% at M12. The prevalence of binge eating decreased significantly through the follow-up up to 17.4% at M12. Those who met criteria for food addiction at M12 achieved significantly lower excess weight loss at M12 compared with those not meeting this criterion (P = 0.005). Food addiction scores at M12 negatively correlated with weekly physical activity (r = - 0.559; P < 0.001) and food tolerance scores (r = - 0.428; P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in food addiction observed at M6 was not maintained at M12. Food addiction at M12 was associated with poorer weight loss, eating, and lifestyle behaviors. Clinical practice should focus on the psychological aspects associated with obesity.

Remission of Food Addiction Does Not Induce Cross-Addiction after Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The hypothesis of "cross-addiction" has never been validated, and numerous aspects speak against it. OBJECTIVES: To compare the differences between sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and gastric bypass (GB) procedures concerning cross-addiction. SETTING: Center for maximum care in Germany. METHODS: We performed a prospective analysis of patients undergoing SG or GB as the first surgical treatment for severe obesity. All patients completed validated questionnaires to evaluate food intake (Yale Food Addiction Scale, YFAS), alcohol intake (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), nicotine use (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence), exercise (Exercise Addiction Inventory), drug addiction (20-item Drug Abuse Screening Test), and Internet use disorder (Internet Addiction Test) before the operation (T0) and 6 (T6) and 24 (T24) months postoperatively (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02757716). RESULTS: One hundred thirteen patients underwent SG (n = 68) or GB (n = 45). At the follow-up, 61% completed the questionnaires at T6 and 44% at T24. In the YFAS, the percentage of patients diagnosed with food addiction decreased from 69 to 10%, and the mean symptom count decreased from 3.52 ± 1.95 to 1.26 ± 0.99 at T24 (p < 0.0001); these values did not differ between the surgical groups (p = 0.784). No significant evidence of cross-addiction was observed for use of alcohol, nicotine, drugs, the Internet, or exercise in either surgical group. The percentage of patients with moderate nicotine dependence increased in the SG group (+8.9%) at T24, but this was not significant. CONCLUSION: In this single-center cohort study, surgery for obesity caused significant addiction remission regarding food but without inducing cross-addiction after 2 years. Importantly, no significant differences were seen between the SG and GB procedures.

Food Addiction in Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients with Loss-of-Control Eating.

OBJECTIVE: Food addiction and binge eating share overlapping and non-overlapping features; the presence of both may represent a more severe obesity subgroup among treatment-seeking samples. Loss-of-control (LOC) eating, a key marker of binge eating, is one of the few consistent predictors of suboptimal weight outcomes post-bariatric surgery. This study examined whether co-occurring LOC eating and food addiction represent a more severe variant post-bariatric surgery. METHODS: One hundred thirty-one adults sought treatment for weight/eating concerns approximately 6 months post-sleeve gastrectomy surgery. The Eating Disorder Examination-Bariatric Surgery Version assessed LOC eating, picking/nibbling, and eating disorder psychopathology. Participants completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and the Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36). RESULTS: 17.6% met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Compared to those without food addiction, the LOC group with food addiction reported significantly greater eating disorder and depression scores, more frequent nibbling/picking and LOC eating, and lower SF-36 functioning. CONCLUSION: Nearly 18% of post-operative patients with LOC eating met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Co-occurrence of LOC and food addiction following sleeve gastrectomy signals a more severe subgroup with elevated eating disorder psychopathology, problematic eating behaviors, greater depressive symptoms, and diminished functioning. Future research should examine whether this combination impacts long-term bariatric surgery outcomes.

Food addiction, in obese patients seeking bariatric surgery, is associated with higher prevalence of current mood and anxiety disorders and past mood disorders.

The current cross-sectional study investigates the prevalence of the food addiction (FA) phenotype and its association with psychiatric disorders in bariatric surgery candidates. It also investigates the eating behavior characteristics associated with FA and the association between FA and loss of control over specific foods high in sugar, salt and/or fat. We included 128 bariatric surgery candidates and we assessed FA (YFAS 2.0), mood and anxiety disorders, suicidality, eating disorders (current bulimia nervosa and current anorexia nervosa), alcohol and tobacco use disorders (MINI 5.0.0, beck depression inventory, AUDIT, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence) and eating behavior (DEBQ). Prevalence of FA in our sample was 25%. FA was significantly associated with higher prevalence of current mood and anxiety disorders and past mood disorders, higher current suicidality but not with eating disorders and alcohol use disorder. FA was significantly associated with higher emotional eating, and with loss of control over consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and/or salt, but not of fruits, vegetables or grain products. Our results provide arguments for considering psychiatric disorders and suicidality in FA and for considering FA as an addictive disorder in obese patients, with many risk factors in common with other addictions.

Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Food Addiction to Bariatric Surgery Completion and Weight Loss Outcome.

INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known risk factors for obesity and poor outcomes following weight loss interventions. ACEs are also associated with addictive behaviors and, potentially, food addiction (FA). This study examined the relationship between ACEs and FA, and their association to undergoing bariatric surgery and post-surgical weight loss outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2013 and January 2016, 1586 bariatric-surgery-seeking patients completed a psychological evaluation. During their evaluation, the patients were administered measures including the ACE questionnaire and the Yale Food Addiction Scale. RESULTS: 19.2% of those seeking bariatric surgery reported being the victim of childhood sexual abuse, and 22.1% reported being the victim of childhood physical abuse. An elevated ACE score corresponded to increased likelihood of screening positive for FA and more severe FA. When the type of ACE was analyzed separately, ACE was not associated with bariatric surgery completion or percent total weight loss (%TWL). Screening positive for FA corresponded to less %TWL 1 year post-surgery as the total number of ACEs increased, yet there was no association with %TWL 2 years post-surgery. The participants were classified into two groups, those positive for an ACE or FA versus those negative for both. Those who screened positive were significantly less likely to undergo bariatric surgery. CONCLUSION: Screening positive for experiencing ACEs was related to severity of FA, and screening positive for being the victim of either childhood abuse or FA reduced the likelihood of completing bariatric surgery. More research is needed to determine how these psychosocial factors might influence bariatric surgery outcomes.

Problematic Eating Behaviors Predict Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: There are no clear psychosocial predictors of weight loss following bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether preoperative problematic eating behaviors predict weight loss outcomes following bariatric surgery. METHODS: Clinical records were utilized to examine outcomes of 101 patients who completed a pre-surgical psychosocial evaluation and underwent gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. Information analyzed included binge eating history and scores from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Yale Food Addiction Scale, and Emotional Eating Scale. Measures of weight loss 1 year post-surgery were compared to pre-surgical assessments. RESULTS: One-year follow-up data were available for 60 patients. Patients with higher levels of eating in response to anger/frustration (p = .02), anxiety (p = .01), or depression (p = .05) were more likely to miss the 1-year follow-up appointment. Eating in response to anger/frustration and depression were related to poorer weight loss outcomes. There was a trend for binge eating to predict greater %EWL (p = .06). A higher number of food addiction symptoms increased the likelihood that patients would experience less weight loss (p = .01). Psychiatric symptoms were not related to weight loss outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who endorsed higher levels of pre-surgical emotional eating and food addiction symptoms had poorer weight loss 1 year post-surgery. Providers should consider screening patients for these behaviors during the pre-surgical psychosocial evaluation which would allow opportunities for psychotherapy and potential improvement in weight loss outcomes. Future research should examine which interventions are successful at improving problematic eating behaviors.

The Role of the Vagal Nucleus Tractus Solitarius in the Therapeutic Effects of Obesity Surgery and Other Interventional Therapies on Type 2 Diabetes.

The current treatment for obesity-related type 2 diabetes is not able to achieve sufficient metabolic control. New remission prospects have been offered through bariatric surgery and other interventional therapies. The aim of the study is to illustrate the mechanism by which such therapies affect the autonomic system, in particular the afferent vagal activity. The first and most important terminal of this activity is the brainstem vagal nucleus tractus solitarius. Its function, on which the vagal efferent inputs that control the splanchnic organs depend, is conditioned by the level of synaptic transmission within it. In conclusion, on the basis of such a view, a selective pharmacological modulation of such transmission as the target for future medical treatment of obesity and related type 2 diabetes is proposed.