Use of oral supplements to increase calorie intake in people with cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis affects many organs, including the digestive system. It can lead to food not being absorbed as it should be and so to growth problems. Children with cystic fibrosis need more energy than children without cystic fibrosis, but often have reduced appetites. Poor diet has been linked to poor outcomes in cystic fibrosis. Therefore, calorie-fortified milks or juices are often added to the diets of children with cystic fibrosis to increase total daily calorie intake and improve weight gain. However, they are expensive and may reduce the amount of food eaten and without improving total energy intake. This review includes three randomised controlled trials with a total of 131 people. Two of the trials included only children. At 12 months the people taking supplements consumed significantly more calories than the people receiving dietary advice alone, but this outcome was only reported in one trial. There were no significant differences between people receiving supplements or dietary advice alone for any nutritional or growth measurements. This was also true for measures of body composition, lung function, adverse effects on the digestive system or people's levels of activity. Advice and monitoring appear to be enough to manage the diet of moderately malnourished children. Randomised controlled trials should look into the use of calorie supplements for acute weight loss or long-term care for adults with cystic fibrosis.