Regular Diet After Colorectal Surgery

Impact of Postoperative Regular Diet on Colorectal Outcomes and Patient Quality of Life

The goal of this pilot study is to assess the safety and feasibility of regular diet after surgical removal of the colon. The study will enroll patients preoperatively, prior to colon surgery, and will follow participants for up to 30 days. The study hypothesizes that simplifying nutritional recommendations is safe and may improve quality of life.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Surgery; Colorectal; Post-operative Care; Diet Habits
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Regular Diet Post-Operatively; Other: Historical Cohort: Low-Fiber Diet

Detailed Description

This pilot study aims to establish the safety of a return to a regular diet after surgery. Patients scheduled to undergo removal of a piece of their colon will be recruited before surgery and placed on a regular diet after surgery. Participants in this trial will be compared with previous patients who have undergone a similar surgery but were educated on and prescribed a low-fiber diet after surgery. Measures relating to morbidity and 30-day readmission rate will be collected prospectively. Surgical complications will also be collected. Participants will complete surveys about anxiety and quality of life at various time points in the study.

The study will track the healthcare resources needed by participants during this study through a number of metrics, such as visits, phone calls, and messaging.

The overarching goals of this study are to determine if resuming a regular diet after surgery is safe, if it impacts quality of life, and whether it increases how often patients need to engage with the healthcare system. The study will also explore associations with patient anxiety and strain on the care team in the form of communications related to diet.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 10
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: KM Clinical Research Specialist; Phone Number: 646-962-2789; Email: kmm4010@med.cornell.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Yasmeen Research Fellow; Phone Number: 646-962-2789; Email: yub9013@med.cornell.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10021
      • Recruiting
      • Weill Cornell Medicine-Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery
      • Contact: KM Muktasid; Phone Number: 6469622270; Email: kmm4010@med.cornell.edu
      • Contact: Yasmeen Chahal, MD; Phone Number: 6469622270
      • Principal Investigator: Mehraneh Jafari, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female ≥ 18 years of age
• Scheduled to undergo colorectal resection

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with bowel obstructions
• Patients below the age of 18

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Regular Diet	Other: Regular Diet Post-Operatively; Participants will be advised to assume their regular diet post-operatively.
Other: Historical Control; This comparator arm consists of information about the safety of patients treated in the past,	Other: Historical Cohort: Low-Fiber Diet; Patients who were educated on and prescribed a low-fiber diet postoperatively.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Number of 30-day readmissions	30 Days post-operative
Surgery related morbidity	30 Days Post-Operatively

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percent of participants who complete the study (Feasibility)	If more than >70% subject complete the study, it will have been considered feasible.	30 Days Post-Operatively
Number of participants who drop out of the study	Withdrawal by Post-Op Day 30	30 Days Post-Operatively
Number of participants removed from the study due to clinical determination		30 Days Post-Operatively

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mehraneh Jafari, MD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 13, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 22, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 20, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: nutrition counseling; diet after surgery
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Behavior, Animal; Feeding Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: 25-08029170

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No