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A cross-sectional study of 77 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Khon Kaen, Thailand examined association of nutritional status with active opportunistic infections (AOIs)/HIV status and assessed degree of correlation between bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and anthropometry. Many patients (41.3%) were malnourished using World Health Organization criteria for underweight, and malnutrition was associated with AOI status. Unconditional odds ratios (P < 0.05) for AOI as opposed to no AOI were 4.57 for underweight, 9.87 for severe underweight, 2.55 for triceps < 10th percentile, and 5.22 for mid-arm circumference < 10th percentile. Body fat composition from BIA, anthropometry, and body mass index were moderate to highly correlated (P < 0.001), with the highest correlation between BIA and subscapular skinfold (r = 0.86) and the lowest between BIA and triceps skinfold (r = 0.54). Insights were gained about relative value of using various measurements to assess nutritional status of HIV-infected populations.

While it is well documented that college freshmen gain weight, there is a dearth of studies examining critical time periods for this weight change. Freshmen living on campus (n = 103; 21M, 82F) visited the laboratory in August/September, November, January, February/March, and April/May. Measurements at each visit included: weight, waist circumference (WC), and body composition (% fat). Overall weight gain was 2.6 ± 3.1 kg, with most occurring during the first (1.4 ± 2.1 kg) and final (0.5 ± 1.5 kg; p<0.05 for all) two months of the academic year. WC did not change. Overall % fat gain was 1.7 ± 3.3% with most (1.1 ± 2.5%; p<0.01 for both) occurring in the final two months of the academic year. Changes in % fat were correlated with changes in WC (r = 0.464) and weight (r = 0.686; p<0.001 for both). Freshman weight gain can partially be attributed to accretion of fat warranting future investigations on targeted prevention programs focusing on behaviors early and late in the academic year.

Body composition of collegiate swimmers has been extensively studied; however, there are limited reports of body composition among Masters swimmers. This study compared the accuracy of air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) to the gold standard method of underwater weighing (UWW) in Masters level swimmers. The relationship between percent body fat (%BF) and body mass index (BMI) was also assessed. Recruitment (n = 6 females, 11 males) occurred at two Masters swim clubs. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed no significant differences between ADP, BIA, and UWW (p > 0.05). For both female and male Masters swimmers, the mean %BF was in the healthy range (30.4 ± 11.7% female, 21.3 ± 8.0% male); however, BMI was in the overweight range (27.0 ± 7.2 kg/m² female, 26.4 ± 4.8 kg/m² male). These findings suggest that while ADP, BIA, and UWW were comparable methods for assessing %BF in Masters swimmers, BMI did not adequately represent body composition and health risk for Masters swimmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For university students, alterations in sleep and diet quality are common, and the propensity for weight gain is well established. The role of sleep duration during periods of rapid weight gain is understudied. This study explored the relationships between sleep duration, diet patterns, and body composition in first-year university students. Data collection occurred during the beginning of the fall (August) and spring semesters (January). Anthropometric measures included weight, height, and percent body fat (%BF). Survey questions assessed sleep and diet quality. As a group, participants ( N  = 60) gained weight (1.8 ± 2.1 kg) over the 4.5-month period of study. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) identified three groups based on weight change between baseline and follow-up visits. Group 1 (“maintainers”) ( N  = 21) gained 0.1 ± 1.3 kg, group 2 (“modest gainers”) ( N  = 24) gained 2.0 ± 1.7 kg, and group 3 (“major gainers”) ( N  = 15) gained 3.8 ± 1.8 kg. No differences in weight, body mass index (BMI), %BF, or average sleep duration existed between clusters at baseline. Minimal differences in baseline dietary behaviors between groups were noted other than maintainers used more fat, e.g., butter, to season vegetables, bread, and potatoes compared to modest gainers ( p  = .010). At follow-up, sleep duration significantly decreased from baseline among major gainers (7.1 ± 0.7 vs. 6.8 ± 0.7 h, p  = .017) while sleep duration increased from baseline among maintainers (7.3 ± 0.9 vs. 7.6 ± 1.0 h, p  = .048). Sleep duration at follow-up was significantly shorter among major gainers compared to maintainers ( p  = .016). Total diet scores for maintainers and modest gainers improved between visits ( p  = .038 and 0.002, respectively) but did not change among major gainers. Combining sleep and diet education may increase the effectiveness of interventions designed to mitigate weight gain in this high-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared body composition measurements in lean female athletes. The primary objective was to compare the accuracy of percent body fat (%BF) determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), air-displacement plethysmography (ADP), and underwater weighing (UWW) in female Division I cheerleaders (n = 10 bases, 6 back-spots, and 12 flyers) from two universities. The secondary objective was to compare health risk predicted by %BF to body mass index (BMI) categorizations. UWW was considered the gold standard for assessing %BF. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine associations between methods. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to identify differences in %BF by method. BIA, ADP, and UWW were highly correlated (r ≥ .828, p < .001 for all). However, %BF by BIA (20.0 ± 5.2%) and ADP (19.3 ± 6.0%) was higher than %BF by UWW (15.9 ± 4.1%, p < .001). Health risk was predicted less often when classified based on very lean (risky low) %BF levels by BIA and ADP than UWW (7.1%, 3.6%, and 21.4%, respectively). This finding suggests that, similar to female track-andfield athletes who also exhibit lean muscular physiques, %BF is overestimated by BIA and ADP in female cheerleaders and health risk associated with low %BF is underestimated when compared to UWW. In contrast, BMI was not associated with %BF by any method and no participants were classified as underweight by this measure. Thus, BMI should not be used to predict health risk in lean female athletes, such as collegiate cheerleaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic peanut consumption is associated with health benefits. To encourage consumption, peanuts are marketed with various flavorings, but questions have been raised as to whether seasonings offset the benefits of peanuts alone. Objective: This study sought to determine whether flavorings on peanuts affect health benefits over 12 wk. Design: In a randomized, parallel-group trial, 151 participants received 42 g peanuts/d as 14-g servings of 3 different flavors (n = 50) or a single flavor (n = 25-26/group). Anthropometric indexes, blood pressure, and heart rate were measured biweekly. Cardiovascular disease risk factors (serum lipids, insulin, glucose, and cortisol) were assessed monthly. Results: No single added flavor differentially altered body weight, body fat, body mass index, heart rate, or blood indexes in the total sample. Participants at greater risk of cardiovascular disease had significantly greater mean (±SE) reductions in diastolic blood pressure (-5.0 ± 1.7 mm Hg compared with -0.7 ± 0.6 mm Hg), cholesterol (-12.1 ± 8.5 mg/dL compared with +5.6 ± 2.0 mg/dL), and triglycerides (-31.7 ± 15.8 mg/dL compared with +2.3 ± 3.0 mg/dL) (n = 27, 24, and 15, respectively; P < 0.01) than did those at lower risk, who did not have significantly different cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations. Consumption of a variety of flavors led to greater weight gain (0.9 ± 0.3 kg) compared with individual flavors alone (0.5 ± 0.2 kg) (P < 0.05), but increases in fat and lean masses were not significant. Conclusions: Regardless of flavoring, peanut consumption offered significant benefits to participants with elevated serum lipids and blood pressure. Sensory variety led to a small, but significant, increase in body weight in comparison with ingestion of a single flavor but no change in fat mass. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01886326. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), including timed push-ups, sit-ups, and run, assesses physical performance for the Army. Percent body fat is estimated using height and circumference measurements. The objectives of the study were to (a) compare the accuracy of height and circumference measurements to other, more accepted, body fat assessment methods and (b) determine the relationships between body composition and APFT results. Participants included Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets (n = 11 males, 2 females, 21.6 ± 3.5 years) from a midwestern university). At one visit, percent body fat was assessed using height and circumference measurements, air-displacement plethysmography, and bioelectrical impedance analysis. APFT results were provided by the ROTC director. All assessment methods for percent body fat were strongly associated (r ≥ 0.7, p < 0.01), implying that height and circumference measurement is a practical tool to estimate percent body fat of ROTC cadets. Total APFT score was not associated with any body fat assessment method. Push-up number was negatively associated with percent body fat by all assessment methods (r ≥ -0.8, p = 0.001), although run time was positively associated (r ≥ 0.6, p < 0.05). This suggests that percent body fat may be an important variable in determining or improving cardiovascular and muscular endurance, but not APFT performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]