Post-bariatric changes in ingestive behavior: Shift in macronutrient preferences in rats and dynamic adaptation of the within-meal microstructure in humans

Abstract

This invited review is based on a presentation given at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior in July 2022 and provides the summary of two recent studies on changes in ingestive behavior following bariatric surgery (BS). First, long-term changes in daily absolute and relative macronutrient intake are reported in a rodent model of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Rats undergoing RYGB progressively decreased their daily calorie- and daily fat intake compared to their preoperative baseline and to the intake of sham operated animals. Second, postbariatric changes in the within-meal ingestive microstructure are portrayed, based on longitudinal data collected in RYGB patients using a drinkometer. The post-RYGB meal size showed a dynamic adjustment process, with the highest decrease in the early postoperative phase, followed by a steady convalescence up to 1-year, at which point the meal size of RYGB patients became comparable to the normal weight adults’. Results are contextualized and contrasted to recent reports on the effect of BS on taste and food choices and consumption. The showcased evidence supports the role of ingestive adaptation and learning in the achievement of reduced calorie intake after RYGB, both in humans and in rodents. The reorganized upper-gastrointestinal anatomy supposedly leads to increased postingestive caloric sensibility, which might be an important behavioral mediator of decreased postbariatric meal size and consequent weight loss.