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The relationship between energy intake and body-growth in children with cystic fibrosis

J W Woestenenk1, G W Dalmeijer2, C K van der Ent3

  • 1Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Cystic Fibrosis Centre Utrecht, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Internal address KE.04.133.1, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|February 24, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Inadequate energy intake in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) is linked to poor body growth. Increasing caloric intake improved weight-for-age and BMI z-scores in CF patients, highlighting the need for higher energy diets.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Cystic Fibrosis Research
  • Growth and Development

Background:

  • Body growth is crucial for morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.
  • Current high-energy diet recommendations for CF may be insufficient for optimal growth.
  • Assessing the longitudinal relationship between body growth and energy intake in pediatric CF patients is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the longitudinal association between body growth and routine energy intake in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis.
  • To determine if current high-energy diet recommendations are adequate for optimal growth in CF.
  • To investigate the impact of energy intake and fat absorption on body growth over an 8-year period.

Main Methods:

  • Included 191 pediatric CF patients (aged 2-10 years) with 969 measurements of weight, height, and dietary records.
  • Collected 786 coefficient of fat absorption (CFA) measurements.
  • Analyzed longitudinal data over an 8-year follow-up period to assess body growth, energy intake, and CFA effects.

Main Results:

  • 47% of measurements showed energy intake below 110% of the estimated average requirement (EAR).
  • Higher caloric intake was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with improved weight-for-age (WFA) and BMI z-scores in CF patients.
  • Each 100-calorie increase in intake correlated with a 0.01-0.02 increase in WFA z-score (girls) and a 0.03 increase in BMI z-score (boys).
  • No significant association was found between CFA and growth parameters; macronutrient composition did not impact WFA or BMI.

Conclusions:

  • Children with CF exhibited compromised growth compared to healthy peers, even at early ages.
  • Energy intake below 110% EAR was common and insufficient to prevent suboptimal body growth over 8 years.
  • Optimizing energy intake is critical for improving growth outcomes in pediatric CF patients.
Abstract

Keywords:
Body heightBody weightCystic fibrosisDiet therapyDietary intakeGrowth

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