Table 3 Median (IQR) for anthropometric indices, biochemical and laboratory markers at baseline, 6 months and the median (IQR) % change calculated between baseline and 6 months follow-up

Clinical characteristics

Weight (kg)

53.4 (45.6 – 59.0)

59.6 (48.0 – 65.4)

12.7 (7.0 – 25.3)

52.8 (48.7 – 60.4)

54.0 (50.2 – 61.3)

4.9 (−1.6 – 11.2)

0.047

Body mass index (BMI; kg/m²)

20.4 (18.0 – 22.4)

22.1 (19.9 – 24.3)

7.8 (7.0 – 14.4)

19.3 (18.4 – 21.3)

20.0 (18.5 – 23.7)

5.5 (0.5 – 10.9)

0.007

Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)

104 (90 – 125)

111 (100 – 119)

6.7 (−10.1 – 35.6)

111 (107 – 127)

118 (99 – 134)

−0.8 (−7.5 – 10.0)

0.273

Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)

69 (46 – 76)

70 (59 – 75)

2.9 (−22.2 – 45.0)

71 (66 – 84)

73 (63 – 88)

0.1 (−7.6 – 4.5)

0.685

CD4 (cells/mm³)

60 (12 – 105)^*

167 (154 – 293)

83.0 (76.4 – 93.1)

107 (63 – 165)^*

233 (152 – 359)

46.4 (20.7 – 60.4)

0.002

≤100 cells/mm³

34 (12 – 60)

157 (107 – 246)

88.9 (79.3 – 95.3)

63 (35 – 86)

189 (100 – 251)

56.9 (49.0 – 81.6)

0.039

>100 – 350 cells/mm³

117 (105 – 135)

259 (225 – 293)

56.6 (53.8 – 59.4)

148 (125 – 257)

324 (233 – 377)

21.1 (20.4 – 34.8)

0.018

Hemoglobin (g/dL)

10.3 (9.0 – 11.3)^*

12.5 (11.1 – 13.6)

9.5 (1.1 – 40.4)

13.1 (11.1 – 14.7)^*

13.6 (12.8 – 14.7)

1.0 (−1.5 – 7.6)

0.026

Mean cell volume (fL)

85.0 (78.4 – 89.9)

93.7 (81.7 – 96.4)

6.4 (4.7 – 7.2)

91.3 (84.0 – 94.8)

99.3 (91.8 – 103.4)

8.1 (3.7 – 9.0)

0.608

Red blood cells (x10¹²/L)

3.7 (3.1 – 3.9)^*

4.1 (3.7 – 4.1)

7.0 (−4.8 – 34.3)

4.3 (3.9 – 4.9)^*

4.1 (3.7 – 4.6)

−4.7 (−11.3 – 3.8)

0.043

White blood cells (x10⁹/L)

3.4 (2.7 – 5.1)

4.5 (3.2 – 4.7)

28.6 (21.6 – 52.4)

4.4 (3.3 – 5.5)

3.7 (3.4 – 5.0)

−2.8 (−34.2 – 29.3)

0.035

Platelets (x10⁹/L)

277 (210 – 326)

272 (235 – 322)

11.1 (−16.3 – 23.1)

231 (152 – 351)

256 (184 – 362)

5.6 (−14.9 – 21.1)

0.787

Anthropometric indexes

Fat (kg)

10.6 (10.0 – 17.7)

12.8 (11.4 – 22.9)

23.3 (−6.3 – 43.9)

11.1 (5.5 – 15.5)

11.9 (9.5 – 20.6)

18.4 (10.2 – 80.5)

0.375

Fat Free Mass (FFM; kg)

38.0 (34.2 – 43.1)

42.5 (35.8 – 50.9)

16.7 (2.7 – 25.8)

41.7 (39.1 – 47.1)

39.8 (35.5 – 43.1)

−3.5 (−9.9 – 4.1)

0.036

Total Body Water (TBW; kg)

27.2 (23.5 – 30.4)

27.5 (24.1 – 36.4)

13.0 (2.6 – 26.1)

30.0 (25.8 – 36.3)

27.8 (24.2 – 31.3)

−1.9 (−15.6 – 5.9)

0.039

Intracellular Water (ICW; kg)

14.4 (12.5 – 17.3)

15.9 (13.2 – 21.3)

16.1 (4.3 – 28.5)

17.9 (14.7 – 19.2)

15.9 (13.1 – 18.8)

−4.1 (−15.3 – 1.6)

0.011

Extracellular Water (ECW; kg)

12.0 (10.6 – 14.1)

12.9 (11.5 – 15.9)

1.6 (3.8 – 23.7)

12.5 (10.9 – 16.6)

11.7 (10.8 – 15.1)

−1.3 (−16.6 – 2.6)

0.028

Phase angle

6.1 (5.1 – 6.9)

6.6 (6.2 – 7.3)

25.9 (4.8 – 39.4)

6.8 (6.3 – 7.3)

6.7 (5.9 – 7.8)

−1.5 (−10.8 – 25.8)

0.063

Biochemistry

Albumin (g/L)

35 (33 – 37)

40 (39 – 42)

15.6 (5.4 – 20.0)

36 (32 – 42)

42 (39 – 42)

11.8 (−2.3 – 25.7)

0.700

Pre-albumin (g/L)

0.22 (0.16 – 0.24)

0.26 (0.23 – 0.28)

21.7 (16.7 – 38.9)

0.21 (0.14 – 0.25)

0.27 (0.25 – 0.34)

18.0 (4.5 – 54.2)

0.892

Alanine transaminase (ALT;IU/L)

29 (15 – 35)

33 (19 – 41)

−15.2 (−40.4 – 90.0)

26 (19 – 38)

35 (22 – 84)

36.4 (7.7 – 117.6)

0.173

Calcium (mmol/L)

2.2 (2.0 – 2.2)

2.2 (2.2 – 2.3)

3.6 (−0.5 – 9.3)

2.2 (2.0 – 2.3)

2.2 (2.1 – 2.3)

3.9 (−3.0 – 7.9)

0.766

Selenium (ug/L)

64 (52 – 79)

81 (69 – 116)

8.9 (−11.1 – 150.4)

71 (53 – 86)

95 (78 – 112)

38.1 (−6.7 – 86.8)

0.968

Magnesium (mmol/L)

0.76 (0.74 – 0.82)

0.77 (0.73 – 0.83)

2.7 (−3.9 – 9.2)

0.76 (0.70 – 0.84)

0.76 (0.73 – 0.82)

0.0 (−2.6 – 4.3)

0.643

Iron (umol/L)

8.2 (5.4 – 11.9)

11.3 (6.7 – 11.8)

1.3 (−42.2 – 79.7)

10.8 (6.9 – 16.1)

13.2 (12.1 – 18.9)

10.9 (−23.7 – 57.7)

0.558

Ferritin (ug/L)

329 (162 – 746)

26 (23 – 100)

−90.3 (−96.9 – -50.3)

141 (58 – 366)

55 (23 – 76)

−48.9 (−79.3 – -36.8)

0.045

Saturation transferrin (%)

16 (8 – 23)

13 (10 – 18)

−27.3 (−68.6 – 37.5)

17 (9 – 22)

20 (16 – 22)

0.0 (−22.7 – 38.5)

0.244

Folate (ug/L)

24 (23 – 35)

23 (7.0 – 35)

−0.4 (−67.8 – 34.2)

26 (23 – 38)

21 (10 – 24)

−43.6 (−71.6 – 6.0)

0.443

Urine urea (mmol/L)

267 (139 – 396)

271 (213 – 313)

6.9 (−67.9 – 205.3)

155 (97 – 244)

244 (185 – 322)

45.1 (−19.5 – 258.3)

0.484

Urine creatinine (mmol/L)

11 (8 – 14)

9 (8 – 12)

−20.0 (−46.3 – 13.1)

9 (5 – 13)

9 (7 – 10)

20.0 (−36.9 – 97.7)

0.334

Urine protein (g/mmol)

0.28 (0.18 – 0.63)

0.21 (0.17 – 0.39)

−43.3 (−86.2 – -18.2)

0.20 (0.11 – 0.47)

0.19 (0.10 – 0.24)

−41.7 (−61.5 – 81.8)

0.459

Physical activity/Energy expenditure

Physical activity score

17 (14 – 23)^*

12 (11 – 13)

−37 (−52 – -14)

14 (12 – 17)^*

11 (10 – 18)

−10 (−23 – 10)

0.037

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

1273 (1205 – 1345)

1312 (1226 – 1481)

5.3 (3.2 – 12.3)

1357 (1244 – 1402)

1365 (1218 – 1429)

−0.2 (−1.0 – 2.7)

0.014