title: Body composition changes during lactation in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected South African women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The nutritional consequences of HIV infection in lactating women are unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To measure the body composition of South African lactating women in relation to HIV status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) using bioimpedance spectrometry (BIS) and anthropometric measurements were obtained at 8 and 24 weeks postpartum in 92 HIV-infected (HIVpos) and 50 HIV-uninfected (HIVneg) lactating mothers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 8 weeks, HIVpos and HIVneg mothers were not significantly different in height (159.7 vs. 158.9 cm), weight (62.7 vs. 63.9 kg), body mass index (BMI; 24.6 vs. 25.3 kg/m), FFM (40.7 vs. 42.8 kg), or FM (21.6 vs. 22.0 kg), respectively. In HIVpos women, the median CD4 count was 621 (range: 101-1585) cells/muL; 95% had CD4 counts >200 cells/muL. Between 8 and 24 weeks, HIVpos mothers had a mean weight loss of 1.4 kg in contrast to a 0.4-kg weight gain in HIVneg mothers (P < 0.01). There were no significant group differences with regard to change in FFM (0.3 vs. 0.1 kg; P = 0.9) and FM (-1.5 vs. -0.3 kg; P = 0.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HIVpos South African breast-feeding mothers without severe immune suppression lost weight and subcutaneous fat between 8 and 24 weeks postpartum, whereas HIVneg mothers gained weight. FFM was maintained postpartum in HIVpos and HIVneg mothers.
authors.affiliation: Africa Center for Health and Population Studies--KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. pcpapathakis@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Peggy C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Papathakis
authors.forename: Marta D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Van Loan
authors.forename: Nigel C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Rollins
authors.forename: Caroline J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chantry
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bennish
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D008875:Middle Aged; D013019:South Africa; D015431:Weight Loss