TOPLINE

Nearly 1 in 5 women who underwent metabolic and bariatric surgery met the criteria for food addiction (FA) after their procedure. These women showed a markedly higher intake of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), a greater prevalence of anxiety, lower physical activity, and poorer weight-loss outcomes than women without FA.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to characterize the clinical, dietary, behavioral, and anthropometric profiles of 631 women (mean age, 40.7 years; preoperative BMI ≥ 30 required for inclusion) at least 18 months after bariatric surgery, stratified by the presence of FA.
• Data were collected via an online questionnaire. FA was assessed using the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0; women with two or more symptoms who met the threshold for impairment or clinical distress were classified as having FA, with severity rated as mild to moderate or severe.
• Dietary intake was assessed using two questionnaires: one focusing on meal patterns, the habit of eating in front of screens, and food consumed the previous day; and the other measuring the intake of UPFs.
• Anxiety was measured with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 questionnaire (a score ≥ 10 indicated a possible case).
• A single question assessed whether participants met weekly thresholds for moderate or vigorous physical activity, and anthropometric data were self-reported.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 19.7% (n = 124) of the women met the criteria for FA; 9.0% (n = 57) had mild-to-moderate FA, whereas 10.6% (n = 67) had severe FA.
• Women with FA had a lower percentage of total weight loss (mean, 27.47% vs 34.13%), a higher current BMI (mean, 31.14 vs 28.10), and greater recurrent weight gain (mean, 30.25 kg vs 18.38 kg; P < .001 for all) than those without FA.
• The FA group had higher UPF consumption (P < .001) and ate more sweets and candies, sugar-sweetened beverages, hamburgers and processed meats, instant noodles, packaged snacks, and/or salty cookies. Women with FA also reported a higher prevalence of anxiety (69.4% vs 32.5%) and lower engagement in physical activity (38.7% vs 59.4%; P < .001 for both) than those without FA.
• The lowest BMI achieved after surgery was also higher among women with FA (P < .001). When stratified by FA severity, both cur­rent and postsurgical BMI increased progressively with severity.

IN PRACTICE

“Nutritional patterns that reduce intake of UPFs and increase consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods may represent an important tool for maintaining the nutritional quality of the diet and achieving long-term results. [These findings] underscore the importance of ongoing screening and multidisciplinary follow-up for women after MBS [metabolic and bariatric surgery],” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Maria Clara Farias Tavares da Silva, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil. It was published online in Obesity Surgery.

LIMITATIONS

Recruitment via online surveys may have introduced selection bias, favoring participants with greater interest in eating or weight-related issues and better access to digital platforms. The anthropometric data were self-reported. The dietary measures assessed intake only on the day before data collection and did not capture portion sizes or habitual dietary patterns. Finally, the results are not generalizable to men who have undergone metabolic and bariatric surgery.

DISCLOSURES

Two authors received support from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, and one author received funding from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. The authors reported having no competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.