title: A higher meal frequency may be associated with diminished weight loss after bariatric surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to investigate the relationship between meal frequency, the occurrence of vomiting and weight loss among patients submitted to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass up to 9 months after surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female patients (n = 80) were followed at 3-month intervals for 9 months. Weight, BMI, 24-hour dietary recall, drug consumption and vomiting episodes were recorded and compared with nutritional outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BMI values at 3, 6 and 9 months were 45.1 +/- 9.7, 39.9 +/- 7.6 and 35.4 +/- 8.2 kg/m(2), respectively. The corresponding choleric intakes were 535.6 +/- 295.7, 677.1 +/- 314.7 and 828.6 +/- 398.2 kcal/day, and the numbers of daily meals were 5.0 +/- 2.5, 4.7 +/- 1.8 and 4.9 +/- 1.0, respectively. The peak of vomiting episodes occurred within 6 months; however, patients tolerated this complication despite its high prevalence. A significant negative correlation between weight loss and diet fractioning, but not vomiting, was observed throughout the entire postoperative period (P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  1) Frequent small meals were associated with a reduction in weight loss after gastric bypass and a decrease in vomiting episodes at 6 months, and 2) vomiting did not interfere with nutritional outcome. Unless required because of vomiting or other reasons, multiple small meals may not be advantageous after such intervention.
authors: School of Nutrition, University of Paraíba (UFPB) - João Pessoa/PB, Brazil.
authors: Angela Gadelha
authors: AG
authors: Ribeiro
authors: Maria José de Carvalho
authors: MJ
authors: Costa
authors: Joel
authors: J
authors: Faintuch
authors: Maria Carolina Gonçalves
authors: MC
authors: Dias
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015390:Gastric Bypass; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D014839:Vomiting / Q000503:physiopathology; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult