Enhancing Clinical Success Through Intensive Dietary Support in Bariatric Patients: a Retrospective Study in Asian Population

BACKGROUND: Weight loss surgery is an established intervention for obesity and related conditions, ensuring sustained weight reduction and improved comorbidities. Post-bariatric surgery, maintaining nutritional adequacy and weight loss necessitates ongoing, intensive dietary support. This research aims to discern the impact of standard care vs. intensive dietary support on outcomes following bariatric surgery within an Asian demographic. This study aims to research the part that intensive dietary support plays in contrast to standard care in altering weight loss and BMI change following bariatric surgery.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis of medical records from a Malaysian tertiary care hospital documented bariatric surgeries conducted from January 2020 to January 2022. Rigorous criteria selected 200 patients from 327, evenly split between standard care and intensive dietary support groups. The latter underwent six mandatory visits with a surgeon and a dietitian in the initial 3 months post-surgery. A dual-review mechanism was implemented for data interpretation, increasing robustness, and reducing biases in our findings.

RESULTS: At 6 and 12 months, the intensive dietary support group exhibited significantly greater weight loss and BMI reduction (p < 0.01). Postoperative complications did not significantly differ between groups.

CONCLUSION: In an Asian population, intensive dietary support enhances weight loss and BMI reduction compared to standard care after bariatric surgery.