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TOPLINE:

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) showed significantly lower muscle strength than matched healthy individuals, with women showing particularly worse nutritional status in terms of fat-free body mass and muscle mass and a higher incidence of sarcopenia.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a case-control study comparing the nutritional status of 80 adults with IBD (50% women) treated at a medical university in Poland with that of matched healthy individuals (n = 80) on the basis of their body composition.
• Patients with IBD included those with endoscopic and histologic diagnoses of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
• Body composition was measured using the electrical bioimpedance method after fasting; alcohol consumption and extreme physical activity were avoided 24 hours prior to measurements.
• Parameters such as total body water, fat mass and free fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and protein and mineral content were measured, and the muscle mass index (MMI) was calculated as the ratio of the total skeletal muscle mass to the square of height.
• Muscle strength was measured using handgrip strength assessments, and sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the criteria, with low muscle strength and a low MMI.

TAKEAWAY:

• Women with IBD presented with a lower muscle mass (24.4 vs 27.9 kg; P < .05) and MMI (7.8 vs 9.9 kg/m²; P < .05), along with significantly lower levels of protein, minerals, and fat-free body mass, than healthy women. Consequently, 37.5% of women with IBD were diagnosed with sarcopenia.
• Both women and men with IBD had lower muscle strength than their healthy counterparts (22.4 vs 25.9 kg and 26.9 vs 28.7 kg, respectively; P < .05 for both); however, no significant differences in other body composition parameters or sarcopenia were observed between men with IBD and their healthy counterparts.
• Patients with Crohn's disease had a significantly lower body mass index, fat-free body mass, skeletal muscle mass, MMI, and handgrip strength than those with ulcerative colitis.
• Predictors of sarcopenia in patients with IBD were sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.663; P = .0191) and disease activity (aOR, 0.636; P = .0189).

IN PRACTICE:

"In the diagnosis of sarcopenia, clinical assessment based on BMI [body mass index] alone is insufficient; therefore, muscle strength testing should be included in the routine anthropometric evaluation of patients with IBD because of its association with low muscle mass," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study, led by Małgorzata Godala, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland, was published online on April 17, 2025, in Nutrients.

LIMITATIONS:

The findings may not represent all the patients with IBD as this was a single-centre study. The sample size was relatively small, with most participants receiving biologic therapy. Additionally, the control group comprised only healthy individuals.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by a grant from the Medical University of Lodz, Poland. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.