PMID- 25089225 OWN - NLM STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE LR - 20211021 IS - 2155-6113 (Print) IS - 2155-6113 (Electronic) VI - 4 DP - 2013 Sep 20 TI - Alcohol, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Obesity among People Living with HIV. PG - 245 AB - INTRODUCTION: In an expanding HAART era, obesity has become a health problem among persons living with HIV (PLWH). Whereas the rising level of obesity has been largely attributed to poor nutrition and exercise habits, differences in biological factors may explain why some individuals gain more weight than others. Thus, our main goal is to prospectively determine in PLWH whether plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and hazardous alcohol use (HAU), two overlooked but highly prevalent conditions among PLWH, correlate with an adverse anthropometric profile. Also to test whether these relationships varied in men and women. METHODS: The Platelets mediating Alcohol and HIV Damage Study (PADS) is an ongoing multiethnic study of 400 PLWH receiving regular medical care in South Florida (37% females and 63% males). Semi-annual visits consisted of a medical exam, including anthropometrics to assess both general (body mass index: BMI) and central obesity (waist and hip circumferences). Participants also completed health history questionnaires, and provided a fasting blood sample to obtain BDNF and immune and biochemical assessments. RESULTS: A sizable proportion of participants met the National Institutes of Health definition of overweight (BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m2; 26%) and obese (BMI >/= 30 kg/m2; 35%). Women were more likely to be obese than men (OR=4.9, 95% CI=2.9-8.2, p=0.0001). Compared to men, women also exhibited the highest mean plasma BDNF levels (9,959 +/- 6,578 vs. 7,470 +/- 6,068 pg/ml, p=0.0001). Additional analyses indicated that HAU, particularly heavy drinkers, had the smallest waist and hip circumferences if they were males, but the opposite if they were females. High BDNF levels were positively correlated with BMI. Linear regression analysis revealed that gender, BDNF, and HAU were the best predictors of BMI. CONCLUSION: In summary, our findings offer novel insights into the relationships between BDNF, and alcohol use among overweight and obese PLWH. Our results also suggest that these relationships may be inherently different by gender. FAU - Miguez-Burbano, Maria Jose AU - Miguez-Burbano MJ AD - School of Integrated Science and Humanity, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. FAU - Espinoza, Luis AU - Espinoza L AD - Department of Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA. FAU - Cook, Robert L AU - Cook RL AD - Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. FAU - Mayra, Mayra AU - Mayra M AD - School of Integrated Science and Humanity, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. FAU - Bueno, Diego AU - Bueno D AD - School of Integrated Science and Humanity, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. FAU - Lewis, John E AU - Lewis JE AD - Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA. FAU - Asthana, Deshratan AU - Asthana D AD - Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA. LA - eng GR - R01 AA018095/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS/United States GR - U24 AA022002/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS/United States PT - Journal Article PL - United States TA - J AIDS Clin Res JT - Journal of AIDS & clinical research JID - 101550222 PMC - PMC4117393 MID - NIHMS554238 COIS- Conflict of Interest Statement The author(s) report(s) no real or perceived vested interests that relate to this article that could be construed as a conflict of interest. EDAT- 2014/08/05 06:00 MHDA- 2014/08/05 06:01 PMCR- 2014/07/31 CRDT- 2014/08/05 06:00 PHST- 2014/08/05 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2014/08/05 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2014/08/05 06:01 [medline] PHST- 2014/07/31 00:00 [pmc-release] AID - 10.4172/2155-6113.1000245 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - J AIDS Clin Res. 2013 Sep 20;4:245. doi: 10.4172/2155-6113.1000245.