Plain language summary
A recent link between dietary intake and chronic pain has led to increased research in the role of nutrition in pain management. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the impact of dietary consultations with or without nutritional supplement on pain levels and quality of life among 42 adults experiencing chronic pain. Participants were randomised to one of four combinations of intervention components – dietary consultation or waitlist controls and supplement fruit juice or placebo fruit juice. A questionnaire encompassing pain, quality of life and dietary intake were completed at baseline and six weeks upon completion of the intervention. This study found all groups had significant improvements in outcomes of pain level and quality of life. The dietary consultation groups had clinically important improvements in pain outcomes compared to the waitlist control group. Based on these results, the authors conclude a dietitian-delivered dietary intervention can improve pain scores, quality of life and dietary intake among people experiencing chronic pain and warrant the need for a larger scale study.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a six-week 2 × 2 design on pain scores, quality of life, and dietary intake in patients attending an Australian tertiary pain clinic. The two intervention components were (1) personalized dietary consultations or waitlist control, and (2) active or placebo dietary supplement (fruit juice). Sixty participants were randomized into one of four groups at baseline (68% female, mean age 49 ± 15 years) with 42 completing the study (70% retention). All groups had statistically significant improvements in three of five pain outcomes. The personalized dietary consultation groups had clinically important improvements in three of five pain outcomes compared to the waitlist control groups. All groups had a statistically significant improvement in six of eight quality-of-life categories post intervention. All groups increased percentage energy from nutrient-dense foods (+5.2 ± 1.4%, p < 0.001) with a significant group-by-time effect for percentage energy from total fat (p = 0.024), with the personalized dietary consultations plus placebo fruit juice reporting the largest reduction (-5.7 ± 2.3%). This study indicates that dietitian-delivered dietary intervention can improve pain scores, quality of life, and dietary intake of people experiencing chronic pain. Future research should evaluate efficacy in a full-powered randomized control trial.
Methodological quality
Jadad score
:
3
Allocation concealment
:
Yes
