“Loss-of-Control” (LOC) eating is a behavior associated with obese adults seeking bariatric surgery and has been associated with less successfully functional outcomes following surgery if that behavior persists. What about adolescents seeking this surgery? Do they demonstrate LOC eating behaviors as well and if so, do they persist post-operatively? Goldschmidt et al. (10.1542/peds.2017-1659) have made an effort to answer this question by sharing longitudinal results on over 200 adolescents ages 13-19 who underwent bariatric surgery in 5 sites and were followed up to 4 years post-operatively. The authors note that continuous LOC eating was experienced by a little over a quarter of the sample (27.8%) pre-operatively and improved post-operatively when the sample was surveyed at 6 months, but then began to increase at 1,2,3, and 4, years after their operation.
To no surprise, the return of this behavior affected long-term weight improvement outcomes in those who still had LOC eating. What can we do about this to help these teens maintain their lower BMIs post bariatric surgery? We encourage you to digest the data and risk factors shared in this study and become more aware of LOC behaviors so you can work with the bariatric team in your region to help your patients get the behavioral counseling they need to overcome this behavior post-operatively and hopefully pre-operatively as well.
