According to a review published in Current Nutrition Reports, good nutrition may slow the rate of lung disease progression in cystic fibrosis patients, Cystic Fibrosis News Today reports.
People with chronic lung diseases are at risk of developing pulmonary cachexia, a condition of muscle wasting and weakness caused by a chronic disease such as CF. Pulmonary cachexia is the final result of malnutrition in patients with end-stage lung disease.
In addition to speeding up the course of the disease, poor nutrition complicates medical care and increases the risks of poor outcomes for patients having a lung transplant.
But maintaining nutrition is difficult for CF patients, who are unable to absorb fats and other nutrients because of pancreatic enzyme insufficiency.
It is especially important that cystic fibrosis patients with an end-stage lung disease not limit their consumption of healthy food, even if they have diabetes, the researchers argued.
