The Effect of Intensive Dietary Education on Nutritional Status After Gastrectomy(SING)

Radical gastrectomy has been known as the most effective treatment of curable gastric cancer.However, there is a high risk of malnutrition and weight loss after a gastrectomy which may be attributed to inadequate oral consumption, malabsorption and loss of the reservoir function of the stomach.Weight loss has been regarded as an independent risk factor for postoperative mortality and morbidity and It is also closely associated with a quality of life after surgery. No specific surgical technique has been proved to be effective in reducing postoperative weight loss and it seems like that dietary education and consultation is the best way to minimize weight loss in gastrectomy patients in clinical setting. In this regard, the investigators performed a retrospective pilot study to identify the effect of routinely performed (simplified) dietary education on nutritional status after gastrectomy, but it revealed that the effect of simplified dietary education on weight loss was not clear and the result implies that more intensive dietary education may be necessary after gastrectomy. The aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to elucidate the effect of intensive dietary education on nutritional status after gastrectomy in comparison with simplified dietary education.