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

There is no dietary strategy that has yet been specifically advocated for hemophilia. Therefore, we sought to assess the effect of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet in adolescents with hemophilia. In this parallel trial, 40 male adolescents with hemophilia were dichotomized into the DASH group or control group for 10 weeks. The serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), complete blood count (CBC), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), waist circumference (WC), percentage of body fat, fat-free mass (FFM), 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 to 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 red blood cell, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, as compared to control. Adherence to the DASH diet in children with hemophilia yielded significant beneficial effects on body composition, complete blood count, inflammation, and liver function.