Tratamiento dietético y nutricional tras la cirugía de la obesidad en España: revisión bibliográfica (Índice Médico Español, 1975–2008)

Obesity is a disease that develops with an increase in body weight as a result of an excessive accumulation of fat in the body. When conventional treatments have failed in cases of morbid obesity, bariatric surgery is a tool that is capable of achieving significant weight losses that are maintained throughout time. The surgical procedures applied entail a situation of malnutrition that must be corrected with dietary supplements and by properly re-educating food habits. Our work's objective is, through a bibliographical review, to analyse the scientific production (of articles) on diet and nutritional therapy after surgery on obesity that exists on the SMI (Spanish Medical Index) database between 1975 and 2008.

According to the data obtained, we see that there are very few articles produced with post-operative dietary recommendations, in spite of their importance. Over twenty years must have gone by since the first surgical intervention was carried out until the first article on dietary therapy after bariatric surgery or surgery on obesity was published in some journal included on the MI. It was at the end of the nineties when the production of articles on operative dietary therapy increased. This fact coincides with the establishment of the Spanish Society of Obesity Surgery and with the appearance and incorporation of the professionals of human nutrition and dietetics.

It is advisable for the professionals involved to pay the necessary attention to this fact, in spite of the difficulty in changing the bad food habits of the patients.