Women tend to gain more weight than men after starting antiretroviral (ARV) trea

[Jim Allen]

Its not huge, does make me wonder how much is healthy gain and the need to adjust diet & exercise. Shame it was not broken down a bit more by drug class.

I've said it before however rather a bit chubby than dead. 

https://www.poz.com/article/starting-hiv-treatment-women-gain-weight-men

Publishing their findings in the Journal of Women’s Health, researchers pooled data from three Phase 3 randomized trials in which U.S. residents began ARV treatment for the first time. Conducted by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, the three trials were: ACTG A5142, which enrolled participants between 2003 and 2004; ACTG A5202, which enrolled participants between 2005 and 2007; and ACTG A5257, which enrolled participants between 2009 and 2011.

Out of 4,422 participants in these studies, 3,801 met the study’s inclusion criteria, including having data on their body mass index (BMI) before they started ARVs and at the 96-week point after starting treatment.

BMI is calculated by taking a person’s weight in kilograms and dividing it by his or her height in meters squared. A score of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered a healthy body weight, while 25 and above is overweight and 30 and above is obese.

Compared with the men in the studies, the women experienced a mean greater increase in BMI of 1.39 points at week 96. After the researchers adjusted the data to account for differences between participants in their age prior to starting HIV treatment, CD4 count, viral load, race, which study they were in and their specific ARV regimen, this mean greater increase in BMI among men compared with women narrowed to 0.59 points.

The researchers found that pretreatment viral load and CD4 count were associated with a difference in BMI increases between men and women. Consequently, they concluded that having a higher viral load and lower CD4 before beginning ARVs was associated with an even larger difference in BMI increase at treatment week 96 between women and men.

[CaveyUK]

I know I'm commenting (sort of) negatively after every research post, but I don't mean to be too critical - I just think a lot of stuff like this can be a tad flawed.

I've always thought the concept of weight gain following treatment starting as a side effect is a bit of a red herring, especially if the person had a fairly low CD4 count at diagnosis. When treatment starts, the body no longer has to be constantly fighting a raging virus and metabolisms return to a more sedate pace, so continuation of an existing diet may lead to weight gain. I'm pretty sure thats what happened in my case anyway.

Also, I think as people age and many become more overweight, women tend to have slightly higher BMI than men anyway.
http://halls.md/bmi-difference-men-women/

It always seems a bit of an inexact science when it comes to BMI as there are too many variables that are not factored in, with the medical profession preferring a 'one size fits all' approach, which probably doesn't help matters either!

[Jim Allen]

These kind of observational things are never 100% accurate as there are always factors, but it can give some insights and also for newer people a consideration to watch the diet etc that said it was even with correction not a huge increase.

I don't mean to be too critical

I think critical is good when it comes to studies