title: Preoperative body size and composition, habitual diet, and post-operative complications in elective colorectal cancer patients in Norway.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both malnutrition and obesity are related to worsened post-operative outcomes after colorectal surgery. Obese cancer patients may be malnourished as a result of short-term weight loss. The present study aimed to evaluate preoperative nutritional status, body composition and dietary intake related to post-operative complications (POC) and post-operative hospital days (POHD) in elective colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anthropometry, body composition measured by bioelectric spectroscopy and dietary habits assessed by a validated food-frequency questionnaire were examined in 100 newly-diagnosed CRC patients. Data from 30-day POC and POHD were collected from medical records. Nonparametric and chi-squared tests and logistic regression were used to analyse associations between body and dietary variables and post-operative outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine patients had at least one POC. The median POHD was six. Body size and composition measures and short-term weight loss were no different between patients with and without POC, or between patients with POHD <7 and ≥7. Dietary variables were otherwise no different between patients with and without POC, although the median intake of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, the sum of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids) was significantly lower in patients with versus without POC (0.7 versus 1.2 g day(-1) , P = 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that preoperative body size, body composition and short-term weight loss were not related to 30-day post-operative outcomes in CRC patients. A high content of marine n-3 PUFA in preoperative habitual diets may protect against POC after CRC surgery.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway. paula.berstad@kreftregisteret.no
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berstad
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haugum
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Helgeland
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bukholm
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Almendingen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D049628:Body Size; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3