Eating behaviors and dietary intake 2 to 4 years following sleeve gastrectomy: Are there any associations?

A lack of research exists on associations between eating behaviors and dietary intake among patients undergoing bariatric surgery. This study aimed to ascertain the association between eating behaviors and dietary quantity and quality at mid-term post-sleeve gastrectomy (SG). This cross-sectional study included 146 adults within 2-4 years post-SG. Dietary intake and eating behaviors were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, respectively. Energy and the proportion of macronutrients were determined. Carbohydrate quality index (CQI), fat quality index (FQI), healthy plate protein quality index (HPPQI), macronutrient qulity index (MQI), and Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI) were computed to evaluate diet quality. Participants were categorized into high and low groups based on median scores for each eating behavior scale. Least-squared (geometric) means and 95% confidence intervals were determined for each group using the analysis of covariance, adjusted for age and sex. The mean time since surgery for participants was 30.8 ± 6.5 months, and 77.4% were female. Participants with high emotional eating had higher energy and HPPQI. Individuals with high external eating had higher energy and percentages of fat and lower FQI and HEI scores. Individuals with high restrained eating scores demonstrated lower energy intake but a higher percentage of protein intake and higher CQI, FQI, MQI, and HEI scores. External eating showed the most unfavorable associations, while restrained eating showed the most favorable associations with quantity and quality of diet 2-4 years after SG. Emotional eating was minimally related to dietary characteristics.