Food Choices after Bariatric Surgery: Are There Changes in Oral Medium Characteristics and Food Perception?

Bariatric surgery is, so far, the most effective method of sustained weight loss by obese patients. Although different studies have been performed aimed to understand the mechanisms through which bariatric surgery elicits weight loss, these last are not completely understood. Dietary habits change in the patients subjected to the different types of bariatric surgery. It is known that bariatric surgery induces weight loss by restricting the amount of food the stomach can old and/or by reducing nutrient absorption. However, in the recent years, evidences emerged about variations in sensorial food perception in those patients that may also be responsible for modifications in food acceptance and preference. In this chapter, a revision of the studies concerning the effect of bariatric surgery procedures in overall oral food perception will be made, discussing how this may influence choices and dietary behaviour. Attention will also been put on the potential effects bariatric surgery may have in saliva composition, which may also influence oral perception. For a better framing of the theme, a review of the main endocrine-metabolic aspects of each type of bariatric surgery procedures, as well as about physiology of taste and olfaction will be done