{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T22:37:59Z","timestamp":1780699079966,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,30]],"date-time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1714435200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100012729","name":"Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UM1TR004528"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UM1TR004528"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100012729","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The effect of COVID-19 infection versus the indirect effect of the pandemic on body composition remains unclear. This study investigates the long-term changes in body composition in COVID-19 survivors compared to a contemporary control group. Method: This is a prospective study involving adults who underwent a pre-pandemic whole-body DXA scan (DXA#1) between 2017 and 2019. Participants were asked to return for a repeat whole-body DXA scan (DXA#2) after the pandemic. Detailed data were collected including their medical and COVID-19 history. Inflammation markers and fasting lipids were measured. For those participants who experienced a COVID-19 infection between the two DXAs, DXA#2 was acquired at least one year after COVID-19 infection. Results: Overall, 160 adults were enrolled; 32.5% females, 51.8% non-white, with mean age of 43.2 years. Half (n = 80) of the participants experienced a COVID-19 infection between their two DXA scans (COVID-19+ group), and the other half had never had COVID-19. COVID-19-negative participants displayed an increase in annualized trunk fat (g) [922.5 vs. 159.7; p = 0.01], total fat (g) [1564.3 vs. 199.9; p = 0.2], and LBM (g) [974.9 vs. \u221264.5; p = 0.0002] when compared to the COVID-19+ group. However, among the COVID-19+ group, no differences were seen in annualized trunk fat, total fat mass, or LBM between those with PASC and without (p &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: During the pandemic, both the COVID-19 survivors and the COVID-19-negative group exhibited increases in weight, total fat, and trunk fat, likely associated with pandemic-linked lifestyle modifications. However, only COVID-19 survivors displayed a decline in lean body mass over the same period, regardless of PASC symptoms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu16091364","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,30]],"date-time":"2024-04-30T08:14:31Z","timestamp":1714464871000},"page":"1364","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["The Long-Term Effect of COVID-19 Infection on Body Composition"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-3112-8944","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ornina","family":"Atieh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jared C.","family":"Durieux","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Clinical Research, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jhony","family":"Baissary","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3958-4125","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian","family":"Mouchati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Danielle","family":"Labbato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Clinical Research, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alicia","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"},{"name":"Center for Clinical Research, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexander","family":"Merheb","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kate","family":"Ailstock","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicholas","family":"Funderburg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2690-8888","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Grace A.","family":"McComsey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"},{"name":"Center for Clinical Research, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2023, August 24). 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