title: Oral supplements as adjunctive treatment to nutritional counseling in malnourished HIV-infected patients: randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare nutritional counseling with and without oral supplements in HIV-infected patients with recent weight loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized non-blinded controlled trial, stratified for change in antiretroviral treatment at baseline.
  
  
  METHODS
  HIV-infected patients with recent weight loss (> 5% of total, and >3% in the last month).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nutritional counseling to increase dietary intake by 600 kcal/day over 8 weeks; in group A (n=24) by normal food, and in group B (n=26) by a range of fortified drink supplements with a calorific value of 0.6 to 1.5 kcal/ml.
  
  
  METHODS
  Body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis, dietary intake by 24 h recall.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fat free mass increased from baseline to week 8 (P<0.05) with no difference between groups A and B (P=0.97). Body cell mass and weight gain were not significant and equal between groups. Assessed at weeks 2 and 4, group B patients consumed 11 +/- 6 kcal/kg as supplements, and their total energy intake was 6 kcal/kg higher than in group A (P<0.01). Total energy intake was not different between groups at weeks 6 and 8.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutritional counseling and oral supplements are both feasible methods to restore food energy intake in malnourished HIV-infected patients. Although normal food intake is partially replaced, oral supplements may improve the adherence to a weight gain regimen.
authors.affiliation: Klinik I für Innere Medizin, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schwenk
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steuck
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kremer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D003376:Counseling; D015930:Diet Records; D017097:Electric Impedance; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated; D019247:HIV Wasting Syndrome / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018529:Nutritional Support