What lifestyle changes help with lipedema?

Question

I've been diagnosed with lipedema. Are there changes I can make to my diet or lifestyle that will help?

Thomas Wright, MD · Answer

I recommend a low refined diet similar to a Mediterranean diet that emphasizes low carb vegetable, healthy fats and protein and limits refined carbs. I recommend medical grade graduated compression for all lipedema patients.  I encourage low impact and resistance exercise, especially while wearing compression to burn calories, build muscle and stimulate lymph flow. Water exercises are especially helpful because water stimulates lymph flow when exercising in it.   Lifestyle is important, I am currently participating in a trial with the principal investigator Dr Sam Klien looking at the effect of diet on lipedema.

Boris Volshteyn, MD, MS · Answer

Lipedema affects about the same number of people as breast cancer. Interesting perspective. Everybody knows about breast cancer. However, the majority of people have never heard of lipedema. Hopefully, it’ll change in the future. The significant lifestyle changes you can make are the following. 
-Decrease the number of carbohydrates in your diet.-Gluten-free diet-Avoid dairy and limit any foods that can be pro-estrogenic, such as tofu, yam, and others. -Many patients experience improvement with a ketogenic or Mediterranean diet.-Supplements such as vitamin D, selenium, and B -The traditional conservative treatment is complete decongestive therapy, which includes manual lymphatic drainage, wearing compression garments, and using a mechanical compression pump.
Unfortunately, many patients see a progressively worsening condition that usually worsens around menopause. That is usually when the latest start looking into more aggressive treatment options, such as liposuction.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Not a lot is known about this condition. In fact it is only a diagnosis of exclusion meaning that there is no test or definitive inclusionary standards for having the diagnosis.

What we do know is that it tends to affect women much more than men, it typically involves lower extremities but can also include upper extremities, it gets worse with weight gain but does not respond well to weight loss.

The last part is the one that is the most important and critical in regards to a long-term strategy.

If someone has lipedema they absolutely have to stay on track and maintain a steady weight and not have large weight fluctuations.

Weight fluctuations are probably the one thing that makes it worse that can be controlled and Hass to be avoided.

Do everything you can to keep your BMI healthy and low but more than that make sure it doesn’t fluctuate much.

I recommend maintaining a weight journal and get on the scale every day.

Getting on the scale and owing how much we weigh every day something I do myself and recommend everybody does.

Because there is no true diagnostic criteria inclusion or exclusion of the condition is somewhat subjective.

I see a large  number of people posting on realself thinking they have the condition with in fact they just have a fat distribution that is bottom heavy.

Simply having large lower extremities is not lipedema.

Lipedema is the condition that worsens overtime and does not respond to weight loss.

This means someone has to show their lower extremities or possibly arms are getting bigger despite not going up in weight.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

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