Prevalence of Alcohol Abuse Before and After Bariatric Surgery Associated With Nutritional and Lifestyle Factors: A Study Involving a Portuguese Population

Abstract

Background: It has been hypothesized that the metabolism of alcohol is altered following bariatric surgery. However, few studies have evaluated preoperative and postoperative alcohol use. The aims of the study were to characterize alcohol use in the preoperative period and 2 years postoperatively as well as to identify factors associated. Methods: A study was conducted using data from the electronic charts of patients submitted to laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery in the city of Porto, Portugal. Associations with the following variables were analyzed: age, marital status, schooling, alcohol use, body mass index, binge eating disorder, and lifestyle habits. Results: Among the 659 patients, 42.0 % completed the 2 years of follow-up. A total of 90.2 % were women; 67.4 % underwent LAGB, and 32.6 % underwent RYGB. The frequency of alcohol use was 24.2 % in the preoperative period and 9.4 % in the postoperative period (p = 0.000). Daily alcohol intake was two drinks in the preoperative period and 1.8 drinks in the postoperative period. Significant associations were found between postoperative alcohol use and the male gender (p = 0.001), age >45 years (p = 0.018), and preoperative BMI <40 kg/m2 (p = 0.028). No significant associations were found with the surgical technique. No previous nondrinkers became drinkers, and no patients increased the quantity or frequency of alcohol intake in the postoperative period. Conclusions: The prevalence of alcohol use in the sample was low. Moreover, a lower prevalence rate was found in the postoperative period, independently of surgical technique, clinical factors, and percentage of weight loss.