Children in remission from acute lymphocytic leukemia (or ALL) tend to develop high levels of body fat, say researchers from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Researchers evaluated the body composition of 24 6- to 12-year-old children who had been diagnosed with ALL about 4 years earlier and compared them with healthy children the same age and height. Using four different methods, researchers measured the children's fat, muscle mass, bone mass, and the amount of water in their bodies.
Although healthy children and those in remission from ALL had about the same amount of muscle, the children with ALL tended to have more body fat and higher weights overall. The testing also showed that kids who had ALL carried more water in their bodies and had less dense muscles, compared with their healthy peers.
In this small study, researchers also discovered that girls with ALL tended to be shorter and have higher body fat percentages. Although the girls in this study had an identical amount of muscle mass compared with their healthy peers, they had about 60% more body fat. In addition, the type of medicine the children with ALL took during treatment may have affected their body composition.
What This Means to You. The authors of this study suggest that children with ALL may eat more calories and get less activity during treatment, a situation that leads to extra weight and fat gain and may continue even after cancer treatment ends. If your child has been diagnosed with cancer, regular physical activity may help your child feel better and even improve long-term cardiovascular health. If you're concerned about your child's weight, a doctor or oncologist can provide guidelines on diet and the amount and types of activity that are best for your child.
Source: Alexia J. Murphy; Jonathan C. K. Wells; Jane E. Williams; Mary S. Fewtrell; Peter S.W. Davies; David K. Webb; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2006.
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: March 2006
