The impact of dark chocolate intake on arterial elasticity in individuals with HIV/AIDS undergoing ART: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial.

An increase in the frequency of cardiovascular diseases has been observed in the HIV/AIDS population. Studies involving healthy subjects or subjects with other diseases have shown benefits of chocolate supplementation on endothelial function and vasodilation. We evaluate the impact of chocolate consumption on arterial elasticity in people living with human immunodeficiency virus - PLHIV. A double-blind, crossover trial including 110 PLHIV (19 to 59 years) on antiretroviral therapy - ART for at least 6 months and with a viral load of <500 copies per mL was conducted. All subjects were randomly assigned to 15-d dietary supplements containing dark chocolate or placebo with a 15-d washout period. Each participant received one of the two sequences: A (dark chocolate, placebo chocolate); B (placebo chocolate, dark chocolate). Arterial elasticity was measured using the HDI/PulseWave™ CR-2000 CardioVascular Profiling System®. Body composition, lipid profile, C-reactive protein, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were also assessed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures using the Stata 11.0® program was used for cross-over analysis. Most subjects were men (59.0%) and Caucasian (46.1%) and the mean age was 44.6 ± 7.1 years. The mean time since diagnosis of HIV infection was 13.7 ± 5.3 years and the mean duration of ART was 12.9 ± 4.2 years. Chocolate consumption resulted in significant alterations in the large artery elasticity index - LAEI (p = 0.049) and the mean concentration of HDL-c was higher after supplementation with dark chocolate (p = 0.045). This is the first study to evaluate the effect of chocolate on arterial elasticity in PLHIV. The results showed that dark chocolate consumption for 15 days improved the elastic properties of the LAEI in PLHIV. These findings, added to the noninvasive method used, may expand the knowledge of CVDs in this population.

Lipid profile of HIV-infected patients in relation to antiretroviral therapy: a review.

This study reviewed the lipid profile of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients in relation to use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and its different classes of drugs. A total of 190 articles published in peer-reviewed journals were retrieved from PubMed and LILACS databases; 88 of them met the selection criteria and were included in the review. Patients with HIV/AIDS without ART presented an increase of triglycerides and decreases of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL-c), and high density lipoprotein (HDL-c) levels. Distinct ART regimens appear to promote different alterations in lipid metabolism. Protease inhibitors, particularly indinavir and lopinavir, were commonly associated with hypercholesterolemia, high LDL-c, low HDL-c, and hypertriglyceridemia. The protease inhibitor atazanavir is apparently associated with a more advantageous lipid profile. Some nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (didanosine, stavudine, and zidovudine) induced lipoatrophy and hypertriglyceridemia, whereas abacavir increased the risk of cardiovascular diseases even in the absence of apparent lipid disorders, and tenofovir resulted in lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. Although non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors predisposed to hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, nevirapine was particularly associated with high HDL-c levels, a protective factor against cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the infection itself, different classes of drugs, and some drugs from the same class of ART appear to exert distinct alterations in lipid metabolism.

Lipid profile of HIV-infected patients in relation to antiretroviral therapy: a review / Perfil lipídico de pacientes infectados pelo HIV em relação à terapia antirretroviral: uma revisão

This study reviewed the lipid profile of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients in relation to use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and its different classes of drugs. A total of 190 articles published in peer-reviewed journals were retrieved from PubMed and LILACS databases; 88 of them met the selection criteria and were included in the review. Patients with HIV/AIDS without ART presented an increase of triglycerides and decreases of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL-c), and high density lipoprotein (HDL-c) levels. Distinct ART regimens appear to promote different alterations in lipid metabolism. Protease inhibitors, particularly indinavir and lopinavir, were commonly associated with hypercholesterolemia, high LDL-c, low HDL-c, and hypertriglyceridemia. The protease inhibitor atazanavir is apparently associated with a more advantageous lipid profile. Some nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (didanosine, stavudine, and zidovudine) induced lipoatrophy and hypertriglyceridemia, whereas abacavir increased the risk of cardiovascular diseases even in the absence of apparent lipid disorders, and tenofovir resulted in lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. Although non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors predisposed to hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, nevirapine was particularly associated with high HDL-c levels, a protective factor against cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the infection itself, different classes of drugs, and some drugs from the same class of ART appear to exert distinct alterations in lipid metabolism.

Este estudo faz uma revisão sobre o perfil lipídico de pacientes com vírus da imunodeficiência humana/síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida (HIV/AIDS) em relação ao uso da terapia antirretroviral (TARV), e suas diferentes classes de fármacos. Um total de 190 artigos publicados em revistas indexadas foram selecionados das bases de dados PubMed e LILACS; 88 deles preencheram os critérios de seleção e foram incluídos nesta revisão. Pacientes com HIV/AIDS sem uso de TARV apresentaram aumento de triglicérides e diminuição dos níveis de colesterol total, lipoproteína de baixa densidade (LDL-c) e lipoproteína de alta densidade (HDL-c). Distintos regimes de TARV promoveram diferentes alterações no metabolismo lipídico. Inibidores de protease, particularmente indinavir e lopinavir, foram comumente associados com hipercolesterolemia, aumento de LDL-c, diminuição de HDL-c e hipertrigliceridemia. O inibidor de protease atazanavir aparentemente está associado a menores alterações do perfil lipídico. Alguns inibidores da transcripitase reversa análogos de nucleosídeos (didanosina, estavudina e zidovudina), induziram lipoatrofia e hipertrigliceridemia, enquanto o abacavir aumentou o risco cardiovascular mesmo na ausência de aparentes distúrbios lipídicos, e o tenofovir resultou em menores níveis de colesterol e triglicérides. Embora os inibidores da transcriptase reversa não análogos de nucleosídeos possam predispor a hipertrigliceridemia e hipercolesterolemia, a nevirapina, particularmente, foi associada a maiores níveis de HDL-c, um fator de proteção contra doenças cardiovasculares. Portanto, a própria infecção, diferentes classes de fármacos e alguns fármacos da mesma classe de TARV podem exercer distintas alterações no metabolismo lipídico.

Efeito da ingestão de chocolate e erva mate no perfil lipídico e oxidativo de indivíduos com HIV/AIDS em uso de terapia antirretroviral / Effect of chocolate and yerba mate consumption on lipid and oxidative profile of individuals with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy

Introdução: Atualmente observa-se aumento das complicações cardiovasculares, como alterações no perfil lipídico e oxidativo, em indivíduos com HIV/AIDS, devido à própria infecção, bem como aos diferentes componentes da terapia antirretroviral (TARV). Vários estudos, em outras populações, mostram que os flavonóides presentes no cacau (Theobroma cacao) e erva mate (Ilex paraguariensis) podem melhorar a função cardiovascular devido às suas propriedades antioxidantes e hipolipemiantes. Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito da ingestão de chocolate e erva mate no perfil lipídico e oxidativo de indivíduos com HIV/AIDS em TARV. Metodologia: Ensaio clínico do tipo cross-over, aleatorizado, cego e controlado com placebo envolvendo 89 voluntários, de 28-59 anos de idade, em tratamento regular com TARV por, no mínimo, seis meses e com carga viral <500 cópias/mL. Os voluntários consumiram 65g de chocolate em barra (chocolate preto contendo 36g de cacau e placebo) e 3g de chá (erva mate solúvel e placebo) por 15 dias cada, seguido por 15 dias de washout entre cada período de suplementação. Foram avaliadas as seguintes características: perfil demográfico e socio-econômico, variáveis antropométricas, imunológicas, prática de atividade física, perfil lipídico (colesterol total, LDL-c, HDL-c, não HDL-c, triacilgliceróis e índices de Castelli I e II), e oxidação lipídica (LDL eletronegativa e substâncias reativas ao ácido tiobarbitúrico-TBARS). As análises estatísticas do cross-over foram realizadas através de análises de variância (ANOVA) utilizando o procedimento pkcross no software Stata versão 11.0. Também se realizou teste t de Student pareado entre os parâmetros no baseline e após consumo dos suplementos de interesse (chocolate preto e erva mate). Considerou-se significante p<0,05.Resultados: Os pacientes eram na maioria do sexo masculino (62,9 por cento), com média de idade de 44,6 (±7,1) anos. Observou-se média de 13,2 (±4,8) anos de diagnóstico de HIV/AIDS, com 10,6 (±5,1) anos de uso de TARV. Não houve diferença significativa comparando as médias das variáveis do perfil lipídico e oxidativo entre as diferentes suplementações (chocolate preto, erva mate e placebos) por ANOVA. Entretanto, na comparação entre as variáveis no baseline e após consumo de chocolate preto, pelo teste t de Student pareado, observou-se aumento de colesterol total (p=0,005), HDL-c (p=0,019) e LDL-c (p=0,002).