Food Selections of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Patients up to 2.5 Years Postsurgery

Bariatric surgery forces participants to undergo a volatile dietary adjustment. The purpose of this cross-sectional research was to chronicle food selection during the period from when solid food is reintroduced through 2.5 years. Forty-eight postsurgery Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients participated in the research. Each food item selection was recorded from a list of foods that consisted of 236 individual foods. Food item selection was then categorized into one of nine conventional US Department of Agriculture based food-groupings (eg, Dairy). No food selection differences were detected between the men and women in the study. Mean weight loss since surgery was 53.6 +/- 20.6 kg. Mean time since surgery was 11.1 +/- 7.0 months for the 35 female and 13 male patients. The food selection categories ranged from 63.2% for Condiments to 28.3% for Sweets. Next, food selections were reclassified into 31 more specific bariatric subgroups (eg, Cheeses, Milks, Yogurts). Bariatric subgroup intake ranged from 84.2% for Bottled/Tap Water to 4% for Sugared Beverages. Several group homogeneity differences existed between conventional and bariatric subgroups. Subgroup means were statistically different for the conventional categories of Dairy, Sweets, and Beverages (P>0.05). These differences demonstrate that the standard benchmarks of conventional food groupings sometimes fail to represent accurately food selection in this population. This type of more specific classification information improves eating recommendations provided by dietetics practitioners. Just as exchange food groups are of great value to patients with diabetes, these more specific bariatric food subgroups represent a needed increase in accuracy in dietary recommendations for patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:608-612.