Impact of dietary patterns on body weight in girls with central precocious puberty treated with leuprolide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the nutritional status and dietary patterns of girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) undergoing treatment with leuprolide acetate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 59 girls, aged 5-13 years, diagnosed with CPP and treated with leuprolide acetate. Between May and December 2021, a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24-hour dietary recall (24-h DR) were administered. The Fornés score was used to quantify consumption markers of healthy (beans, fruits, vegetables, and greens) and unhealthy (hamburgers, sugar-sweetened beverages, ultra-processed foods, and sweets) foods. Higher scores reflected greater intake of the respective food groups.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 31 (52.5%) showed a reduction in their BMI Z-score (mean change: -0.32 ± 0.26), while 28 (47.5%) had an increase (mean change: 0.25 ± 0.22). Girls who reduced their BMI Z-score had significantly higher Fornés scores for healthy food markers (p = 0.02), particularly for fresh fruits (p = 0.04) and greens and vegetables (p = 0.01). A negative correlation was found between BMI Z-score variation and the Fornés score for healthy food markers (p = 0.02), including fruits (p = 0.02) and greens and vegetables (p = 0.02). No significant associations were observed between BMI Z-score variation and age at treatment onset (p = 0.22) or treatment duration (p = 0.43).

CONCLUSION

In girls with CPP treated with leuprolide acetate, greater consumption of healthy foods-especially fruits and vegetables-was associated with decreased BMI Z-scores. These findings underscore the role of dietary quality in energy balance and support nutritional monitoring during GnRHa therapy, particularly under lifestyle-altering conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic.