title: Preoperative carbohydrate "addiction" does not predict weight loss after laparoscopic gastric bypass.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Weight loss after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP) varies. Dietary habits that exist preoperatively may continue after surgery and affect weight loss. This study investigated the hypothesis that preoperative carbohydrate addiction would predict weight loss after laparoscopic gastric bypass.
  
  
  METHODS
  104 consecutive patients in our LRYGBP program were included in the study. A preoperative survey was used to determine level of carbohydrate craving. This survey was scored from 0 to 60. A higher score indicated a higher level of carbohydrate addiction. Percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) was determined after at least 1 year postoperatively in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were available in 95 (91%) of the patients. There was no correlation seen between level of carbohydrate addiction and %EWL at 1 year (r=0.02; P=NS). In addition, we looked at patients with successful weight loss (>50% %EWL; n=83) versus those patients who were considered unsuccessful (<50% EWL; n=12). There was no statistical difference in the level of preoperative carbohydrate craving between these 2 groups (36+/-13 vs 33+/-15; P=NS).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consistently large carbohydrate intake preoperatively does not predict weight loss after LRYGBP. High level of carbohydrate addiction is not a contraindication to LRYGBP.
authors.affiliation: Section of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Weight Management Center, Methodist University Hospital, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. amadan@utmem.edu
authors.forename: Atul K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Madan
authors.forename: Whitney S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Orth
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ternovits
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Tichansky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015390:Gastric Bypass; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates