CHARACTERIZATION OF NUTRITIONAL TREATMENT IN LIPEDEMA: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/levv16n55-002Keywords:
Lipedema, Dietary Treatment of Lipedema, Diet, Ketogenic Diet, Mediterranean Diet, Low-carb Diet and SupplementationAbstract
Lipedema is a chronic and progressive loose connective tissue disease characterized by the abnormal and symmetrical accumulation of adipose tissue, mainly in the hips, legs, and arms, affecting almost exclusively women. The pathology presents with pain, tenderness to the touch, edema, and functional impairment, and has been associated with hormonal, genetic, and inflammatory alterations. Nutritional treatment emerges as a promising therapeutic strategy, with the potential to reduce inflammation, pain, and improve the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to characterize nutritional treatment in lipedema, highlighting the effectiveness of ketogenic and low- carbohydrate diets. This study aimed to investigate the role of carbohydrate -restricted diets in lipedema, as well as the role of bioactive food compounds ( BFCs ) and nutritional supplements in modulating the symptoms of lipedema. An integrative literature review was conducted, encompassing scientific articles published between 2021 and 2025 in the PubMed , ScienceDirect , and SciELO databases. The results demonstrated that carbohydrate-restricted diets contribute to the reduction of body weight, pain, and edema, in addition to improving quality of life and modulating inflammatory markers. Although bioactive food compounds have recognized antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, no original studies were identified that evaluated their direct relationship with lipedema , highlighting a gap in the scientific literature. It is concluded that nutritional treatment, associated with anti-inflammatory dietary strategies and the presence of bioactive compounds, represents a fundamental and promising approach in the clinical management of lipedema, although future research is needed to confirm its effectiveness.
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