Nutritional intervention improved dietary intake among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment

As patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) exhibit elevated rates of overweight, and poor dietary quality, we studied the effectiveness of a group nutritional-therapy on dietary quality, anthropometric measures, body composition, and quality of life.

A randomized controlled trial among MMT patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² was assessed. The intervention group (n = 42) received 10 weekly group nutritional therapy sessions, and controls (n = 28) received a single 15-minute individual nutritional session. Anthropometric measurements, body composition analysis (bio-impedance analysis), dietary intake evaluation, and quality of life (SF-36) were assessed. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analyses.

Intervention and control groups had reductions in body fat percentage (p = 0.008) with comparable proportions of patients who lost weight (42.9% and 50%, respectively, p = 0.6). Water consumption increased and ultra-processed food consumption decreased in both groups. The intervention group only demonstrated caloric reduction in carbohydrate (48.2% to 44.7%) and increase in protein (13.8% to 16.9%). Physical-functioning domain of quality of life was maintained in the intervention group but declined in controls. When stratified by weight loss, scores improved among participants who lost weight in the intervention group, but declined among those who did not, as well as among all participants in the control group regardless of weight change.

Intervention effectively improved dietary quality in MMT patients, and among those who succeeded in losing weight, it also improved quality of life (physical-functioning). The brief nutritional guidance provided to controls, and the increased dietary awareness from study participation, may have contributed to general nutritional improvements.