Assessing Dietary Patterns and Composition Among Adults With Cystic Fibrosis Taking Highly Effective Modulator...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Cystic Fibrosis Research
• Metabolic Health

Background:

• Metabolic complications of poor diet quality in cystic fibrosis (CF) are a growing concern.
• Obesity and modulator-induced weight gain exacerbate nutritional challenges in CF patients.
• Understanding patient knowledge and dietary responses to modulators is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess CF patients' knowledge and perspectives on dietary changes related to CF modulators.
• To measure nutrient intake changes in response to different dietary patterns and education.
• To evaluate the impact of diet education on diet quality in adults with CF.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 82 adult CF patients.
• A subset of 10 participants underwent diet education and followed general healthful (GH) and high-fat (HF) diets sequentially.
• Three-day diet records were analyzed to assess nutrient intake and diet quality (Healthy Eating Index - HEI).

Main Results:

• 42% of CF patients reported making healthy dietary changes while on modulators.
• Significant knowledge gaps were observed, with only 56% correctly identifying fat-containing foods.
• The GH diet led to decreased energy and fat intake, and improved HEI scores compared to the HF diet and baseline.

Conclusions:

• Despite reported dietary changes, basic nutrition knowledge deficits persist among CF patients on modulators.
• Diet quality significantly improved after receiving education on general healthful eating patterns.
• Targeted, basic nutrition education is needed to improve diet quality in clinical CF practice.