Mette Søndergaard Nielsen defends her PhD thesis on changes in food preferences after bariatric surgery

Time

16 January 2019, 13:00

Place

Festauditoriet (aud. A1-01.01), Bülowsvej 17, 1870 Frederiksberg C

Opponents

Professor Inge Tetens (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor of Nutrition Barbara Livingstone, Ulster university, UK.

Senior Clinical Lecturer Alexander Miras, Imperial College, London.

Supervisor

Professor Anders Sjödin, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Co-supervisors

Julie Berg Schmidt, PhD, Novo Nordisk A/S, Denmark.

Professor Carel W. le Roux, MD, PhD, Investigative Science, Imperial College London, UK & Diabetes Complications Research Centre, University College Dublin, Ireland.

About the thesis

Bariatric surgery leads to a substantial decrease in energy intake and subsequent weight loss. It is unclear, whether the decrease in energy intake is simply due to eating smaller portions of the same food items or a shift in food preferences and choices towards less energy-dense foods. Changes in food preferences have been reported in several studies; however, the evidence is based on indirect measurements such as food records, questionnaires, and interviews, which are prone to inaccuracy.

The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate changes in food preferences after bariatric surgery using an ad libitum buffet meal test targeting direct behaviour. Furthermore, to investigate potential mechanisms behind changes in food preferences, sweet taste sensitivity and the hedonic evaluation of sweet, savoury and fatty food stimuli were assessed before and after bariatric surgery. In a subsample, we also investigated the effect of surgery on food reward using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Read more: https://nexs.ku.dk/arrangementer/2019/phd-defence-effects-of-roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-and-sleeve-gastrectomy-on-food-preferences/