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Need to lose a little ab flab? Rather than drugs, doctors generally recommend lifestyle changes, specifically, exercise in tandem with a diet low in fat and high in fiber. Now researchers at Tufts University are saying the same prescription works for HIV-related abdominal obesity.

The pounds in question aren't caused by Oreo orgies. A significant number of people with HIV develop a metabolic disorder known as lipodystrophy, in which the body redistributes fat deposits from the face and limbs to the waist and upper back. The causes of and treatment for lipodystrophy are unclear, but, like run-of-the-mill weight gain, it can put patients at higher risk for arteriosclerosis, hypertension and diabetes.

The study followed one patient who, during 30 months of antiretroviral therapy, gained 30 pounds mostly around the waist while losing weight in his arms and legs. After four months of diet and exercise, the subject lost 14 pounds. Total body fat &dined 28 percent, while visceral body fat--the fat around the organs most associated with health problems--dropped 52 percent. The improvements were generally maintained after one year.

"This report is the first to show that diet and exercise are capable of reversing much of the metabolic and body-composition changes seen in lipodystrophy," says study author Ronenn Roubenoff, M.D. "Until specific treatment is available, an exercise program combined with a moderate-fat, low-glycemic-index, high-fiber diet should be considered."

# posted by Medical Information : 3:09 AM