Abstract
Background: Physical exercise is an important part of regular care for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). It is unknown whether such exercise has beneficial or detrimental effects on nutritional status (body composition). Thus, the objective of this review was to evaluate the effect of exercise on measures of nutritional status in children and adults with CF. Methods: Standardized reporting guidelines for systematic reviews were followed and the protocol was prospectively registered. Multiple databases were utilized (e.g., PubMed, Scopus, and CINHAL). Two reviewers independently reviewed titles/abstracts and then the full text for selected studies. Results: In total, 924 articles were originally identified; data were extracted from 4 eligible studies. These four studies included only children; pulmonary function ranged from severe to normal, and the majority of participants were at or below their recommended weight. Exercise training did not worsen nutritional status in any study; two studies that included resistance exercise reported an increase in fat-free mass. Three of the four studies also reported increased aerobic capacity and/or muscle strength. Conclusions: Exercise training can produce positive physiologic changes in children with CF without impairing their nutritional status. In fact, resistance exercise can help improve body mass. Much less is known about how exercise may affect adults or those who are overweight.
Highlights
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a relatively rare genetic disease affecting over 30,000 people in the United States and more than 70,000 people worldwide [1], with a prevalence varying from country to country but being as high as 1 in 900 in parts of Canada to as low as 1 in 25,000 in Finland [2]
The CTL group had an improvement in body mass (2.7%), but an insignificant loss of strength and aerobic capacity
No significant changes in body mass, but fat-free mass increased in the ET group
Summary
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a relatively rare genetic disease affecting over 30,000 people in the United States and more than 70,000 people worldwide [1], with a prevalence varying from country to country but being as high as 1 in 900 in parts of Canada to as low as 1 in 25,000 in Finland [2]. It focuses on preserving pulmonary function, and the organ-specific and systemic manifestations of the disease as mentioned above. Physical exercise is an important part of regular care for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). It is unknown whether such exercise has beneficial or detrimental effects on nutritional status (body composition). Results: In total, 924 articles were originally identified; data were extracted from 4 eligible studies These four studies included only children; pulmonary function ranged from severe to normal, and the majority of participants were at or below their recommended weight. Exercise training did not worsen nutritional status in any study; two studies that included resistance exercise reported an increase in fat-free mass. Much less is known about how exercise may affect adults or those who are overweight
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