Effect of nutritional therapy on body composition in overweight/obese children with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of nutritional therapy on body composition in overweight/obese children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during the treatment with glucocorticoid (GC). Methods The SLE children (7-18 years old) who received GC treatment and were overweight/obese admitted in our hospital from December 2018 to June 2022 were recruited in this study. After meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria and signing the informed consent form, all subjects were included in the observation group. Then, nutrition therapy was given with an energy target of the 90% of the level recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents according to ages. After the intervention for 24 weeks, a break for 6 months was given to these subject in order to avoid information exchange among them. Subsequently, our inclusion and exclusion criteria were employed again to recruit the subjects in the control group. The children from the control group were only given nutrition education. All these participants were followed up by clinic visits at 4, 12 and 24 weeks after intervention. Main observation indicators included anthropometric measurement, results of laboratory tests, and dosage of GC. Results There were 60 SLE children enrolled in this study, and 40 in the observation group and 20 in the control group. No statistical differences were found in baseline data (sex ratio, age, BMI and dosage of GC) between the 2 groups. No differences were seen in body fat percentage (BPF) and visceral fat area (VFA) at baseline between the 2 groups. But the 2 indicators were decreased in the observation group (P 0.05). Conclusion Nutritional therapy can improve BFP and VFA in overweight/obese SLE children during the treatment with GC.

Keywords

• obesity
• nutritional therapy
• systemic lupus erythematosus
• body composition