Objective Previous studies that have investigated the relationship between binge eating and the long-term outcome of bariatric surgery have shown mixed results. Does binge eating before or after bariatric surgery affect long-term BMI, health-related quality of life (HRQL), or psychopathology after surgery? The objective of the present study was to address these questions to determine the extent to which binge eating needs to be addressed in the context of bariatric surgery Methods. We assessed 173 bariatric patients before and three years after weight loss surgery with regard to weight, binge eating, HRQL, and psychopathology. Results. Binge eating habits before and after weight loss surgery were unrelated to the long-term BMI outcome. Binge eating after weight loss surgery was associated with more psychopathology and a lower HRQL. Conclusion. Binge eating before or after weight loss surgery does not predict long-term BMI outcome. Therefore, exclusions from surgery for this reason alone are difficult to motivate. However, results show that binge eating after weight loss surgery is common and is associated with both more psychopathology and a lower HRQL. The poor psychological health status of patients that binge eat after weight loss surgery motivates studies with longer follow-up periods to investigate whether post-surgical binge eating might increase the vulnerability to future weight regain and complications at time points beyond three years. The high rate of binge eating after surgery and its negative association with the HRQL and psychopathology indicate that we need to be observant of the occurrence and potential effects of binge eating in the context of bariatric surgery.
BACKGROUND