REVIEW article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Perception Science
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Perspectives in Eating Behavior: Emerging Research, Themes, and Innovative ApproachesView all 3 articles
Mechanisms of Postoperative Anorexia in Surgical Patients: A Narrative Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- 2Caoxian People's Hospital, Heze, China
- 3The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- 4Yan'an Hospital Affiliated To Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- 5Yunnan University School of Life Sciences, Kunming, China
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Postoperative anorexia is a highly prevalent condition among surgical patients, which exerting a profound impact on their recovery trajectories and nutritional status. The underlying mechanisms are complex and multifactorial, including neuroendocrine dysregulation, activation of inflammatory signaling pathways, and the interaction between psychological processes and pathological conditions. Emerging evidence underscores the significant role of altered hunger and satiety perception, cognitive modulation of food-related cues, and emotion-driven behavioral responses in the regulation of postoperative appetite. Despite these insights, there are currently no definitive targeted interventions available to effectively restore appetite in the postoperative setting. This narrative review summarizes recent advances in the understanding of appetite regulation, delineates key biological and psychosocial factors contributing to postoperative anorexia, and systematically synthesizes current clinical assessment approaches, and discusses emerging therapeutic strategies. By integrating insights from physiology, cognition, and affective science of postoperative anorexia, this narrative review seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis, assessment, and the current therapeutic strategies of postoperative anorexia.
Keywords: Appetite, Influencing factors, nutrition, Perioperative, postoperative recovery
Received: 22 Sep 2025; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Sun, Li, Cai, Cen, Li and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yanbo Sun
Yanli Li
Chengbin Li
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