AB009. OP-9 Correlation between meal frequency and body mass index of obese individuals before laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

Background: Obesity is one of the most important health problems today due to its increased prevalence and chronic diseases it causes. It is known that meal pattern of individuals is important in body weight control. With this perspective, we aimed to determine the correlation between the number of meals and body mass index (BMI) of the patients evaluated before laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

Methods: Between 2018–2019, 22 patients who were admitted for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-four-hour food consumption of each patient was recorded. They were divided into 2 groups as those who had less than 3 meals and those who had 3 or more meals. Height measurements and detailed body analysis of both groups were performed. The height (cm) and weight (kg) data and the BMI were calculated. BMI = (Body weight (kg) / Height (m)²) formula was used.

Results: It was observed that of the 22 patients, 40.91% (n=9) had less than 3 meals, while 59.09% (n=13) had 3 or more meals. The average BMI of those having less than 3 meals was 39.97 kg/m² (n=9, min =34.6 kg/m², max =47.2 kg/m²). The average BMI of individuals who had 3 or more meals was 42.43 kg/m² (n=13, min =35.3 kg/m², max =62.4 kg/m²). BMI values being lower in individuals who had less than 3 meals is found to be statistically (P<0.001) significant.

Conclusions: When the patients in our study group were evaluated, it was observed that individuals who had less than 3 meals had lower BMI values than those who had 3 or more meals. Further studies should be conducted to demonstrate this relationship by examining food patterns and calorie intake per meal in broader patient groups.

Keywords: Obesity; number of meals; body weight