Improvements in Body Composition after a Proposed Anti-Inflammatory Diet Are Modified by Employment Status in Weight-Stable Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean-style diet could improve body composition (fat-free mass and fat mass percentage) in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
Results Summary
The study found no significant differences in body composition between the intervention and control diets for the whole group, but non-employed participants showed significant reductions in fat mass and fat mass percentage with the Mediterranean-style diet. The overall improvement in body composition regardless of diet suggests potential for dietary manipulation in treating rheumatoid cachexia, though the effect was limited to a subgroup.
Population
Fifty patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), with body composition data analyzed for 45 participants (42 in the whole group analysis, 15 in the non-employed subgroup).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
anti-inflammatory Mediterranean-style diet | no change | body composition | patients with RA (whole group, n = 42) | all p > 0.20 | no differences between intervention and control | #1 |
anti-inflammatory Mediterranean-style diet | decrease | fat mass | non-employed participants (n = 15) | −1.767 kg; 95% CI: −3.060, −0.475, p = 0.012 | significantly decreased | #2 |
anti-inflammatory Mediterranean-style diet | decrease | fat mass percentage | non-employed participants (n = 15) | −1.805%; 95% CI: −3.024, −0.586, p = 0.008 | significantly decreased | #3 |
anti-inflammatory Mediterranean-style diet | increase | body composition | non-employed participants (n = 15) | - | improved | #4 |
dietary manipulation | increase | body composition | patients with RA (group as a whole) | - | improved | #5 |
- | increase | fat-free mass | patients with RA (n = 45) | - | increased | #6 |
- | decrease | fat mass percentage | patients with RA (n = 45) | - | decreased | #7 |
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease affecting peripheral joints. Chronic activation of inflammatory pathways results in decreased function and the development of comorbidities, such as loss of lean mass while retaining total body mass. The objective of this report was to assess whether dietary manipulation affects body composition in patients with RA as a secondary outcome. Fifty patients were included in a randomized controlled crossover trial testing a proposed anti-inflammatory Mediterranean-style diet compared to a Western diet. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy in patients without implants (n = 45). Regardless of treatment, fat-free mass increased and fat mass percentage decreased during weight stability, but no differences between intervention and control in the whole group (n = 42, all p > 0.20) were found. Interaction analysis revealed that participants who were non-employed (n = 15) significantly decreased in fat mass (−1.767 kg; 95% CI: −3.060, −0.475, p = 0.012) and fat mass percentage (−1.805%; 95% CI: −3.024, −0.586, p = 0.008) from the intervention compared to the control period. A Mediterranean-style diet improved body composition in non-employed participants (n = 15). The group as a whole improved regardless of dietary allocation, indicating a potential to treat rheumatoid cachexia by dietary manipulation.