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  • Original Article
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Body composition, energy expenditure and physical activity

Redistribution of body composition in patients with Graves’ disease after iodine-131 treatment

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 69, pages 856–861 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

The objective of this study was to investigate body composition redistribution at 3 months after radioactive iodine therapy (RAI).

Methods:

Eighty patients with Graves’ disease (GD) for RAI and 18 volunteers were recruited. All patients underwent thyroid status test and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and 3 months after RAI. According to the second thyroid status test, patients were divided into the following groups: A, with aggravated hyperthyroidism; B-1, with improved hyperthyroidism; B-2, with euthyroidism; and B-3, with hypothyroidism.

Results:

Total lean mass (LM) but fat mass (FM) and bone mineral content (BMC) of whole GD patients after RAI recovered to be not different with controls. Compared with baseline, in group A, FM in the left leg increased, and LM in left arm, right arm, trunk and total LM decreased (P<0.05). In B-2, FM in the head increased, and LM in the head, right arm, trunk and total LM increased (P<0.05). In B-3, FM in the right leg and total body fat percentage decreased, but FM in the head, android-to-gynoid fat ratio and body mass index increased (P<0.05); LM of all sites, weight and total mass increased (P<0.05); BMC in lumbar spine and left leg, and total BMC decreased (P<0.05). Body composition of unmentioned sites was retained after RAI in each group (P>0.05).

Conclusions:

Replenishment of LM gets priority rather than FM and BMC during the first 3 months after RAI, and the increase in LM starts from the upper body; head is the regional site in which FM recovery occurs first.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank the technicians in our department for their help.

Author Contributions

M-Hua Cheng substantially contributed to conception and design, and interpretation of data; Liang-Jun Xie, Han-Jian Zhou, Jian-Fang Li, Feng Zhang, Feng-Wei Zeng, Lu-Ping Qin, Yi Chen and Hai-Juan Yuan contributed to acquisition of data; Liang-Jun Xie contributed to analysis and interpretation of data; and Liang-Jun Xie contributed to drafting of the article.

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  1. L-J Xie and H-J Zhou: These two authors contributed equally to this work and co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou City, China,

    L-J Xie, J-F Li, F Zhang, F-W Zeng, L-P Qin, Y Chen, H-J Yuan & M-H Cheng

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou City, China,

    H-J Zhou

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Xie, LJ., Zhou, HJ., Li, JF. et al. Redistribution of body composition in patients with Graves’ disease after iodine-131 treatment. Eur J Clin Nutr 69, 856–861 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.232

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