ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: We studied food intake in 107 patients undergoing gastric surgery, with emphasis on postoperative quality of life (QOL). The time course of food intake after surgery, sex- and age-related differences in food intake, and the relation of food intake to surgical procedure were evaluated retrospectively. METHODOLOGY: The following variables were studied: 1) the time required for stabilization of food intake, assessed on the basis of the time course of food intake after operation; 2) the relations of sex and age to postoperative food intake, assessed by comparing food intake according to sex and age; and 3) postoperative food intake according to surgical procedure, evaluated by calculating the ratio of postoperative food intake to the food intake of healthy individuals matched for sex and age. RESULTS: At 6, 12, and 24 months after operation, there was no difference in food intake among the three operative procedures; food intake was stable from 6 months onward. When food intake was analyzed according to age, similar trends were seen in men and women, and there were no significant differences in food intake among patients in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. Food intake was significantly lower in patients in their 70s than in patients in the other age groups. Food intake even in women with significantly decreased food intake or in patients 70 years or older was not necessarily low as compared with food intake levels in healthy individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Food intake is substantially affected by the period of time after surgery, as well as by sex, and age at the time of surgery.
