Total gastrectomy often results in considerable weight loss and malnutrition. Studies indicate that decreased food intake might contribute to weight loss after total gastrectomy, but fed matched controls were not used in those studies. Serum proteins are used as parameters of malnutrition but might not be adequate to assess malnutrition after total gastrectomy. We measured food intake, weight gain per kilojoule of food intake, body weight, serum protein and albumin in gastrectomized and sham-operated fed matched minipigs over a period of 12 months. Total gastrectomy resulted in reduced food intake, reduced weight gain per kilojoule of food intake and in underweight, while fed matched sham-operated controls increased their body weight as did unoperated controls. Serum protein and albumin were initially decreased after total gastrectomy, but increased with time and were not different from sham-operated controls by the end of the study. Our data indicate that reduced food intake and a reduced efficiency to convert food into body weight result in body weight loss after total gastrectomy. This suggests that a hypercaloric food intake should be recommended after total gastrectomy, while serum proteins might not correctly reflect malnutrition after total gastrectomy.

Keywords:
Total gastrectomy, Body weight, Weight loss, Food intake, Serum protein, Serum albumin, Pigs
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© 1996 S. Karger AG, Basel
1996
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