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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2014, 16, 4 (pages: 41 - 48)

Dietary intakes of opiate abusers before and during Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Montazerifar F., Karajibani M., Lashkaripour K., Dorzadeh H., yosefi M., and Dashipour A.-R.

Summary: Introduction: The poor diet resulting of drug abuse has been reported in opiate –using populations. Substitution treatment with methadone has been used as one of the possible ways to prevent and control of opioid-dependent patients.The aim of study was to evaluate of energy, micro and macronutrient intakes of drug abusers before and after methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Methods: 55 opioid - dependent abusers (mean aged 31.6 ± 10 years) and 39 healthy controls (mean age 32 ± 9.5 years) were enrolled in the study. Food patterns and dietary intake data were assessed by two questionnaires including 24–hour dietary recall and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in the three steps; before MMT, after 2 and 6 months of treatment in addicts, and in healthy controls one time only. Results: The findings showed that the diet of patients contained inadequate amounts of nutrients compared to Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) and control group (P<0.0001).The opiate abusers consumed the minimum daily servings of fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats group recommended by the food pyramid, at baseline and compared with controls. An increased intake of nutrients and all food groups' servings was demonstrated after treatment, and was similar to control group.Conclusion: This study is a qualitative and quantitative assessment in term of the dietary intakes and habits of opiate dependents which supports the concept that dietary intakes got better by methadone maintenance treatment. Further studies are required to clarify whether opioid -dependent patients can go on diet in longtime treatment or not.