Low Food Access Associated With Adverse Outcomes After Mastectomy

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, April 7, 2026 -- Low food access (LFA) is associated with increased comorbidities and postoperative complications for women undergoing mastectomy, according to a study published in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Christian X. Lava, from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of patients undergoing mastectomy between January 2014 and November 2018 to examine the impact of residing in a food desert on postoperative outcomes. Data were included for 1,553 patients: 675 (43.5 percent) resided in LFA areas and 878 (56.5 percent) resided in non-LFA (NLFA) areas.

The mean body mass indexes in LFA and NLFA areas were 28.4 ± 8.0 and 28.6 ± 7.3 kg/m2, respectively. The corresponding mean Charlson Comorbidity Index scores were 2.6 ± 1.3 and 2.3 ± 1.2, respectively. The researchers found that compared with the NLFA group, the LFA group experienced more minor complications (28.1 versus 21.3 percent). In addition, the incidence of reoperation was higher in the LFA group versus the NLFA group (12.3 versus 7.3 percent). In an LFA subanalysis, the incidence of reoperation was higher in patients with low income (17.7 versus 10.6 percent).

"Our findings suggest that access to healthy foods and nutritional status may influence the risk of complications after breast reconstruction surgery," coauthor Kenneth Fan, M.D., from Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., said in a statement. "Food insecurity might be an important social determinant of health for breast reconstruction patients."

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Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-04-08 01:59

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