Neck circumference as a predictor of cardiometabolic risk and truncal obesity in people living with HIV

Introduction

Introduction: recent studies have suggested the use of neck circumference as a parameter capable of identifying risks of cardiometabolic complications and the accumulation of truncal fat caused by both antiretroviral therapy and the lifestyle of people with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Objective: to investigate the relationship between neck circumference and anthropometric indicators and to assess cardiometabolic risk and truncal obesity through proposed cut-off points. Methods: cross-sectional study including 233 people with HIV. Demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The anthropometric evaluation included: weight, height, body mass index (BMI) measurements; waist (WC), neck (NC), arm and arm muscle circumferences; triceps and subscapular skinfolds and their sum. ROC curves were constructed to determine the accuracy of NC in predicting cardiometabolic risk in people living with HIV. Results: the sample was 57.5 % male, with a mean age of 38.4 years (95 %CI: 37.2-39.7 years). NC showed a positive and significant correlation with all anthropometric variables analyzed (p < 0.05), and a higher correlation strength with WC and BMI. The NC cut-off point selected as a predictor of risk of cardiac metabolic complications and truncal obesity in women was ≥ 32.4 cm, considering both WC and BMI. For men, the NC cut-off points were different when considering WC (≥ 39.6 cm) and BMI (≥ 38.1 cm) as a reference. It is worth noting that NC performed well in ROC curve analysis for men, while in women it was a poor performance. Conclusion: NC proved to be a promising indicator in the assessment of nutrition and health of people living with HIV, especially in men.

Impact of intermittent fasting on body weight in overweight and obese individuals

OBJECTIVE

To verify the relationship of intermittent fasting in the bodyweight of overweight and obese individuals through a systematic literature review.

METHODS

This is a systematic review based on randomized controlled trials. The articles were consulted in the databases: Science Direct, PubMed e BVS. This review was evaluated through the PRISMA recommendation.

RESULTS

After the selection process, four articles were included in this review, comparing intermittent fasting (IF) with calorie restriction diet (CRD) as a control group. In 2 studies using similar protocols, there was no significant reduction in body weight of overweight or obese subjects. In the other two studies using different protocols, weight loss was significant in the IF group compared to the CRD group.

CONCLUSIONS

Results did not provide evidence of the effect of intermittent fasting on weight loss in overweight or obese individuals.