Low-carb diet eases pain, improves QoL in women with lipedema

Women with lipedema who lose weight through proper diet can see improvements in their quality of life (QoL), suggests a study. Specifically, an energy-restricted low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) appears to be better at pain reduction than a standard control diet.

In this study, the investigators randomly assigned 70 women with lipedema and obesity to either the LCD or control diet (energy prescription: 1,200 kcal/day) for 8 weeks. They also measured the following at baseline and after the intervention: body weight and body composition, pain (Brief Pain Inventory measured pain), and QoL (RAND 36-Item Health Survey, Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite, and Lymphoedema Quality of Life).

The mean age of the participants was 47 years, and their mean BMI was 37 kg/m². Women in the LCD group achieved greater weight loss (‒2.8 kg, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], ‒4.1 to ‒1.0; p<0.001) and larger reduction in pain now (‒1.1, 95 percent CI, ‒1.9 to ‒0.3; p=0.009) than did those in the control group. Changes in pain now showed no significant association with weight loss.

Notably, women in both groups showed improvements in several QoL domains.

“Our results suggest that an LCD might be a good dietary treatment option for female patients with lipedema,” the investigators said.

“Weight loss using standard low-energy diets might be suggested as a treatment option for female patients with lipedema if contraindications for implementing an LCD exist,” they added.