Battling HIV-Related Belly Fat

You may have never heard of VAT—and we hadn't until recently— but you've certainly seen it on some men around town. When people with HIV have fat build up in certain places on their body and then go away in other areas, this is called “lipodystrophy” (lie-poh-DIS-tro-fee). When it forms around the belly, it's called “visceral adipose tissue” or VAT.

To find out more about VAT, we turned to the Egrifta website for answers. In the interest of transparency, please be aware that Egifta is an advertiser with Gay.net. That said, we felt this information was important enough to share.

VAT is:

•Hard fat that surrounds a person’s abdominal organs
•Chronic (meaning it lasts a long time)
•May not go away with diet and exercise alone

People without HIV can gain weight in their belly and they usually gain some VAT, but they gain more "soft" fat just under the surface of the skin. With diet and exercise they can get rid of that excess package. However, people with HIV can sometimes gain excess VAT in their belly and may actually lose the soft fat in their belly and other parts of their body. This is why you may see men with large bellies but less bulk in their cheeks or buns. According to the site, "Healthcare providers and scientists are not sure about how the excess VAT develops in people living with HIV."

So if you're HIV+, what are your chances of developing HIV-related abdominal lipohypertrophy?

People over the age of 40 have a higher chance of being diagnosed with HIV-related abdominal lipohypertrophy, as are those who have had HIV for more than three years. Smoking and/or having a higher body mass index (higher than 26) have been shown to influence the condition. If your lowest CD4 count is below 100, you may be at risk, and some types of antiretroviral therapy (specifically protease inhibitors) are believed to play a role.

But just because you fall into one of the above groups doesn't necessarily mean you have VAT. What it means is that if you think you have it, you should talk to your doctor. He or she can determine the truth, answer questions, and help you figure out the right path for you and your body. That may or may not include a medication like Egrifta. But either way you'll have answers, and that's always the first step toward living a healthier life.