Body composition in coeliac disease adolescents on a gluten-free diet: a longitudinal study

Abstract

Our aim was to evaluate body composition in a group of coeliac disease adolescents on a gluten-free diet and to re-examine them at the end of the adolescence spurt. We studied 48 patients (group 1A), 30 age-matched healthy controls (group 2A), 11 group 1A patients after 4 years (group 1B) and 11 adolescents who were age- and sex-matched with group 1B (group 2B). Weight, height, bone mineral content, fat mass, fat-free mass (FFM) and bone mineral density were evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. All parameters were lower in group 1A than in group 2A subjects ( p<0.001). After 4 years, the body compartments of group 1B coeliac disease patients normalised, except for weight and FFM which remained lower than in group 2B subjects ( p<0.005). In conclusion, our study demonstrates that adolescence is a period where some parameters of body composition can still be recovered.

Anthropometric measures and prevalence trends in adolescents with coeliac disease: a population based study

“…Similarly, Sonti et al 15 demonstrated that men with CD diagnosed in adulthood were shorter than men in the general population. So far, only one small study performed by Carbone et al 20 showed that adolescent patients with CD were shorter than controls irrespective of gender. Overall, some reports showed reduced height only in men,11 15 21–22 whereas others showed reduced height only in women 23.…”

Radioimmunological detection of anti‐transglutaminase autoantibodies in human saliva: a useful test to monitor coeliac disease follow‐up

“…Serum tTG‐Abs detected with a fluid‐phase radioimmunoprecipitation method (RIA) proved to be a sensitive test, not only at diagnosis but also during follow‐up, with the result that this is the most reliable in detecting the non‐adherence to the diet 11, 12 . It is well known that a good compliance to the diet is particularly important in children and in adolescents, permitting at the same time to obtain optimal growth 13, 14 and to avoid complications including autoimmune pathologies 15, 16 . Recently, we demonstrated that RIA tTG‐Abs could be detected in human saliva, a body fluid that can easily be obtained by non‐invasive techniques and bypassing the unpleasant blood sample collection is particularly helpful in children for CD‐screening purposes 17 .…”

Anthropometric profile of patients with celiac disease tended at the Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic of UFMG, Belo Horizonte

“…The nutritional profile of a CD patient was described as low weight, short stature, loss of muscle, bone, and fat mass; and other nutritional deficiencies such as loss of vitamins and minerals until the beginning of the 21 st century. 7,8,[20][21][22][23] The recovery of body composition and nutritional status only occurred after following a gluten-free diet. The profile of the individual with CD after beginning a dietary treatment shows an increase in weight and fat mass, and obesity.…”

“…The only body parameter without significant difference between the two groups was total body fat mass. Carbone et al 8 in 2003 stressed that children and adolescents recovered weight, BMI, and %GC after four years of gluten-free diet compared with the control group, however, still showed a deficit in height and fat-free mass. In this study, although there is no significant difference in the bodily parameters between the two groups, the control group showed higher average weight, height, BMI, %GC, CA, and MM than the study group, suggesting a discreet tendency to reduction in bodily parameters in CD patients related to gluten-free diet time and adherence.…”

“…7 Teenagers who are diagnosed before the growth spurt of this age group can still significantly recover part of body composition, however, not as much as children. 8 CD can result in short stature, reduced lean body mass and bone mass, even without symptoms related to the digestive tract. The identification of individuals with short stature and changes in body composition can lead to a suspicion of CD because many may develop the disease without the classic symptoms.…”