Background In women, slender body habitus has been reported to be one of the predisposing factors underlying the development and poor prognosis of non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD). Given the lack of nutritional data contributing to treatment strategies, we aimed to clarify the nutritional status of female patients with NTM-LD and its association with disease severity. Methods In this single-center observational study, we enrolled 81 female outpatients with NTM-LD. Data on healthy women of similar ages were selected from our previous survey data and categorized as controls. First, we compared anthropometric and dietary survey data between patients and controls. Second, after the patients were categorized into relatively mild (mild, n = 40) and relatively severe groups (severe, n = 41) based on pulmonary X-ray-image finding scores, body composition, nutritional intake, and biochemical markers were compared between the groups. To identify nutritional factors associated with disease severity, logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Compared with controls, patients with NTM-LD had significantly lower energy intake, body mass index, body fat, and skeletal muscle mass (all p < 0.001). Compared with the mild group, the severe group had significantly lower skeletal muscle mass (p = 0.037), albumin (p = 0.029), transthyretin (prealbumin) (p = 0.002), retinol-binding protein (p = 0.011), and hemoglobin (p = 0.001); however, no between-group differences were observed in energy or nutrient intake. Logistic analyses revealed that transthyretin (p = 0.025) and hemoglobin (p = 0.003) levels were independent factors associated with disease severity. Conclusions This is the first study to comprehensively report the association between NTM-LD severity and nutritional status, including body composition, nutrient intake, and biomarkers. The results suggest that initiating nutritional therapy from the mild stage of the disease to prevent undernutrition is warranted.

Recent reports have associated the use of social networking sites (SNS) with the drive for thinness in young women; however, its influence on their actual body shape and eating behaviors (EB) remains unclear. We aimed to examine the effect of SNS use on body mass index (BMI), body image (BI), and EB in young women. Participants included 196 healthy women (20–29 years) who answered questions about their SNS use, height, weight, BI and EB via a web-based survey. First, the correlation between time spent on SNS and each variable was determined. Participants were then divided into quartiles according to the duration of daily SNS use as long (≥3 h, n = 52) and short (<1 h, n = 54), and the data were then compared between the groups. Correlation analysis showed that the longer the duration of daily SNS use, the significantly lower the BMI, the use of nutrition labels, and the frequency of consumption of milk and dairy products. The long group had significantly lower BMI and ideal BI than the short group. The results suggest that spending more time on SNS in young women may be associated with thinner actual and ideal body shapes and poorer access to health information and healthy foods.

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