According to the findings of a pilot study conducted by Dr. Ronenn Roubenoff, of Tufts University in Boston, Mass, and his colleagues, fat redistribution associated with protease inhibitor therapy may be improved with exercise.

Dr. Roubenoff and colleagues point out that HIV-associated lipodystrophy is characterized by increased visceral fat with decreases in facial and limb fat. Lipodystrophy may increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. However, no effective treatment for lipodystrophy is currently available.

This led Dr. Roubenoff's group then conducted a 16-week, open-label pilot study of progressive resistance training with an aerobic component. Ten HIV-infected men with signs of lipodystrophy trained 3 times per week. The investigators monitored total body lean and fat mass, and trunk fat mass using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

At follow-up, there was a significant decline in total body fat by 1.5 kg, they reported this in the July 30th 1999 issue of AIDS¹. The researchers also noted that most of the decline in body fat occurred in trunk fat, which decreased by 1.1 kg.

The men in the study increased their strength in 3 out of 4 exercises tested, with no adverse effects seen from the exercise training. The exercise regimen appeared to have no impact on weight, lean mass, or bone mineral density.

According to Dr. Roubenoff's group, the preliminary findings "...indicate that exercise has the potential to improve body composition in HIV-associated lipodystrophy." Therefore further investigation of the role of exercise training in treating and preventing HIV-associated fat redistribution is warranted.

Reference: 1. AIDS 1999;13:1373-1375.