The effect of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on body composition, complete blood count, prothrombin time, inflammation and liver function in haemophilic adolescents

Abstract

There is no dietary strategy that has yet been specifically advocated for haemophilia. Therefore, we sought to assess the effect of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet in adolescents with haemophilia. In this parallel trial, forty male adolescents with haemophilia were dichotomised into the DASH group or control group for 10 weeks. The serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein, IL-6, complete blood count (CBC), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, partial thromboplastin time (PTT), waist circumference (WC), percentage of body fat, fat-free mass and liver steatosis were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Serum vitamin C was measured as a biomarker of compliance with the DASH diet. The DASH diet was designed to include high amounts of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, as well as low amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol, refined grains, sweets and red meat. Serum vitamin C in the DASH group was significantly increased compared with the control (P = 0·001). There was a significant reduction in WC (P = 0·005), fat mass (P = 0·006), hepatic fibrosis (P = 0·02) and PTT (P = 0·008) in the DASH group, compared with the control. However, there were no significant differences regarding other selected outcomes between groups. Patients in the DASH group had significantly greater increase in the levels of erythrocyte, Hb and haematocrit, as compared with the control. Adherence to the DASH diet in children with haemophilia yielded significant beneficial effects on body composition, CBC, inflammation and liver function.