Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access

Effect of food supplementation to HIV patients on nutritional status and disease progression: A longitudinal controlled study

2^nd International Conference and Exhibition on Nutritional Science & Therapy

July 15-17, 2013 Courtyard by Marriott Philadelphia Downtown, USA

Habtamu Fufa

Accepted Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci

Abstract :

HIV/AIDS infected and affected people have been getting food support by World Food Program (WFP) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, there was no information to what extent the food ration improve the nutritional status and contribute to delay of HIV-1 disease progression in Ethiopian HIV positive adults. In order to study the effect of food supplementation a longitudinal study design was used with data collection at baseline and every three months. In this study the nutritional status and disease progression of 68 adults living with HIV (ALWH) who got WFP food support was compared with 68 non food support group ALWH for a period of 9 months. The two groups were matched by age, income, weight and body mass index (BMI) between the intervention and control groups. Significant weight increase at nine months and significant fat free mass increase at six months was observed in the intervention group (p<0.02). Furthermore, the change in CD4 count was significant at six (p<0.04) and nine months (p<0.02). The intervention group had slow disease progression (from CD4 count) compared to nonintervention group. There were no significant changes in hemoglobin level and BMI between the two groups. The food support showed a positive impact in terms of weight gain and slowing the disease progression. Our findings support the growing scientific consensus that food supplement/support is a critical component of the treatment of both malnutrition and malnutrition-mediated disease outcomes. The study was supported by International Atomic Energy Agency, World Food Program and Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute.

Biography :

Habtamu Fufa has completed his MSc at the age of 27 years from Moldova State University and his second MSc in human nutrition studies from Ibn Tofail University. He is the director of GLANH Consulting Service and a National Coordinator of Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) & Community Based Nutrition (CBN) Monitors for BDS/UNICEF Project, Ethiopia. He has published more than 10 papers in reputed journals.