{
  "abstract": "Introduction Gastrointestinal manifestations occur in 90% of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, causing esophageal dysmotility and reflux. In consequence, SSc patients show altered body composition (BC) with lower body mass index (BMI), lean mass, and fat mass versus controls. Furthermore, physical activity (PA) is markedly reduced, with only 12.5% maintaining active lifestyles. The Mediterranean diet (MeDi) may offer therapeutic potential for SSc patients by improving gastrointestinal symptoms through its anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the interplay between gastrointestinal symptoms, BC, MeDi and PA in SSc patients.Material and Methods This study included 54 participants (95% females) with an average age of 58 years (±12.08). BC was measured using a Tanita MC-780 scale, while PA was evaluated using International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Furthermore, gastrointestinal manifestations were assessed using a UCLA Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract (UCLA SCTC GIT) survey. MeDi adherence was assessed through Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS) questionnaire. Medical history and sociodemographic data were collected from available records.Results The median score in UCLA SCTC GIT evaluation was 0.2 (IQR 0.26). Regarding PA, 18 participants (33%) had low level of PA, 35 participants (65%) moderate level of PA, while only 1 participant had high level of PA. Only 3 participants (5.5%) were adherent to MeDi while the maximum score achieved in MDSS was 14. In evaluating correlations, while general UCLA SCTC GIT score did not correlate with total PA score, MDSS score, or BMI values, it correlated negatively with average time spent walking (r = -0.291, p = 0.032), phase angle values (r = -0.283, p = 0.044). Furthermore, MDSS score correlated negatively with social avoiding caused by nausea (r = -0.301, p = 0.027).Conclusions This study highlights that SSc patients exhibit relatively mild gastrointestinal symptoms yet face significant physical activity limitations, with 98% reporting low to moderate PA levels. Only 5.5% of participants adhered to the MeDi (maximum MDSS score 14), underscoring poor dietary compliance in this population. In addition, these correlations with phase angle and time spent walking indicate that worse GI involvement is linked to reduced mobility and compromised cellular integrity. Additionally, higher MDSS scores were correlated with less social avoidance due to nausea, suggesting that better MeDi adherence may alleviate certain gastrointestinal-related quality-of-life issues. These findings underscore the potential benefit of integrating MeDi interventions alongside strategies to improve body composition and physical activity in SSc management.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Split, Split, Croatia"
      ],
      "name": "Mislav Radic"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Split, Split, Croatia"
      ],
      "name": "Hana Dogas"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences (MedILS), University of Split, Split, Croatia"
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Gelemanovic"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Split, Split, Croatia"
      ],
      "name": "Dijana Perkovic"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Split, Split, Croatia"
      ],
      "name": "Josipa Radic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P.175 Gastrointestinal worsening correlates to body composition, mediterranean diet and physical activity",
  "uid": "f1029f06-6b98-53cc-925c-5972dc9a5803"
}