Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Clinical Nutrition
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1441201

Safety and Tolerability of a Low Glycemic Load Dietary Intervention in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis: A Pilot Study

Provisionally accepted
Kevin Scully Kevin Scully 1*Laura Truex Laura Truex 2Alina Brennan Alina Brennan 2Robert Fowler Robert Fowler 2Gregory S. Sawicki Gregory S. Sawicki 2Ahmet Uluer Ahmet Uluer 2,3David S. Ludwig David S. Ludwig 2Cara B. Ebbeling Cara B. Ebbeling 2Leah Langlais Leah Langlais 1Angela Dziok Angela Dziok 1Steven D. Freedman Steven D. Freedman 4Melissa Putman Melissa Putman 5
  • 1 Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, United States
  • 2 Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • 3 Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • 4 Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston MA, United States
  • 5 Mass General Brigham, Somerville, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: To achieve and maintain adequate weight, people with cystic fibrosis (CF) may often consume energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods high in added sugars and refined carbohydrates; however, little is known about the glycemic and metabolic effects of dietary composition in this patient population. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the safety and tolerability of a low glycemic load (LGL) diet in adults with CF and abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT). Methods: Ten adults with CF and AGT completed this prospective, open-label pilot study. Mean age was 27.0±2.1 years, 64% were female, and all had pancreatic insufficiency. Each participant followed his/her typical diet for two weeks, then transitioned to a LGL diet via meal delivery service for eight weeks. The primary outcome was change in weight from baseline to study completion, with safety established if no significant decline was noted. Other key safety outcomes included change in hypoglycemia measured by patient report and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Exploratory outcomes included changes in other CGM measures, body composition by dual energy Xray absorptiometry (DXA), and patient reported outcomes. Results: There were no significant changes in weight or in subjectively-reported or objectively-measured hypoglycemia. Favorable non-significant non-significant changes were noted in CGM measures of hyperglycemia and glycemic variability, DXA measures of fat mass, and gastrointestinal symptom surveys. Discussion: A LGL dietary intervention was safe and well tolerated in adults with CF and AGT. These results lay the groundwork for future trials investigating the impact of low-glycemic dietary interventions on metabolic outcomes in the CF population.

    Keywords: Cystic Fibrosis, nutrition, Diet, Body Composition, Continuous glucose monitoring

    Received: 10 Jun 2024; Accepted: 09 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Scully, Truex, Brennan, Fowler, Sawicki, Uluer, Ludwig, Ebbeling, Langlais, Dziok, Freedman and Putman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kevin Scully, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.