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Weight loss and body-composition changes in men and women infected with HIV^1,2,3

¹ From the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston (JEF, ET, and SLG); the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston (DS); and the Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Boston (TAK).

Background: The nature of body-composition changes in HIV-associated weight loss is unclear.

Objective: We examined the relation between the initial percentage of body fat and the composition of weight loss in men and women with HIV infection.

Design: HIV-positive adults were seen at semiannual clinic visits, at which time weight, fat, and fat-free mass were determined. The unit of analysis was the person-interval.

Results: Five hundred fifty-one persons contributed 2266 intervals of data, of which 311 (14%) were intervals in which weight loss was  5% of initial (start of interval) weight. Of these, 208 (67%) intervals met the criteria for analysis (123 from men and 85 from women). Loss of fat-free mass was dependent on the initial percentage of body fat in the men with < 32% body fat. A plot of the initial percentage of body fat compared with loss of fat-free mass (kg) suggested a nonlinear relation over the range of body fat examined. There was no clear relation between the initial percentage of body fat and loss of fat-free mass in the women.

Conclusions: In men with HIV-associated weight loss, the weight lost as fat-free mass depends on the initial percentage of body fat at low levels of body fat but appears to be independent of initial percentage of body fat at high levels of body fat. In women with HIV-associated weight loss who have normal-to-high body fat stores, loss of fat-free mass is independent of the initial percentage of body fat.

Key Words: HIV infection • body composition • fat-free mass • percentage of body fat • bioelectrical impedance analysis • nutritional assessment • men • women

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. M Hendricks, D M. Mwamburi, P. Newby, and C. A Wanke Dietary patterns and health and nutrition outcomes in men living with HIV infection Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2008; 88(6): 1584 - 1592. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]