Effects of bariatric surgery on food cravings: do food cravings and the consumption of craved foods “normalize” after surgery?

Background The reported effects of bariatric surgery on food cravings have been inconsistent. Moreover, research has been largely limited to sweet cravings, and no study has examined whether surgery patients' cravings differ from those of normal weight (NW) controls. Our objective was to use an empirically validated instrument to examine changes in bariatric surgery patients' frequency of food cravings and consumption of craved foods from before to 3 and 6 months after surgery and to compare surgery patients' frequency of food cravings to those of NW controls. The setting was private hospitals and research center in the United States. Methods Bariatric surgery patients (n = 32) and NW controls (n = 20) completed the Food Cravings Inventory and had their height and weight measured. Results Before surgery, the patients reported more overall cravings and cravings for high fat and fast foods and a greater consumption of craved high-fat foods than the NW controls. From before to 3 and 6 months after surgery, the patients had significant reductions in overall cravings for, and consumption of, craved foods, with specific effects for sweets and fast food; however, surgery had virtually no effect on the cravings for high-fat foods. Moreover, high-fat and fast food cravings did not reduce to normative levels. The postoperative patients were less likely to consume craved sweets than NW controls, and the patients' postoperative weight loss was largely unrelated to food cravings. Conclusion Bariatric surgery is associated with significant reductions in food cravings and consumption of craved foods, with the exception of high-fat foods. Despite these decreases, patients' cravings do not fully reduce to “normative” levels and are not associated with postoperative weight loss.