Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n“Our findings suggest that access to healthy foods and nutritional status may influence the risk of complications after breast reconstruction surgery,” stated\u00a0corresponding study author\u00a0Kenneth Fan, MD, of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,\u00a0Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC. “Food insecurity might be an important social determinant of health for breast reconstruction patients.”<\/p>\n
Background\u00a0and Study Methods\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prior studies have suggested a link between poor nutrition and recovery after breast construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Food deserts are considered areas where there are higher rates of food insecurity with more unhealthy food and fewer healthy options.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers evaluated the comorbidity burden in patients who live in a food desert\u00a0to determine the impact that living in a food desert has on outcomes after mastectomy. They conducted a retrospective review of 1,553 patients who underwent mastectomy between January 2014 and November 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Low food access was defined as an area that was at least 1 mile (urban) or at least 10 miles (rural) from a nearby supermarket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Primary outcomes of the study were minor and major complications after surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Key Findings\u00a0<\/p>\n
A total of 675 patients (43.5%) lived in a low food access area.\u00a0The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score was 2.6 for patients who lived in a low food access area and 2.3 for those who did not (P < .001).<\/p>\n
This group also a higher rate of minor complications following mastectomy than those not living in low food access areas (28.1% vs 21.3%;\u00a0P = .002) as well as a\u00a0higher incidence of reoperation (12.3% vs 7.3%;\u00a0P\u00a0= .001).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Subanalysis\u00a0showed that patients with low income had a higher incidence of reoperation than those with higher incomes (17.7% vs 10.6%;\u00a0P\u00a0= .018).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The researchers noted that their study shows a potential link between food access, increased comorbidities, and postoperative complications, though further study is needed.<\/p>\n
“These findings emphasize the critical role of nutrition in recovery and suggest that geographic and socioeconomic disparities contribute to health outcomes,” the study authors concluded.<\/p>\n
DISCLOSURE:\u00a0For full disclosures of the study authors, visit\u00a0journals.lww.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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