Many of the HIV drugs are implicated in the loss of sub-Q bodyfat in people with HIV. This is particularly true of Zerit (aka D4T). The disease itself causes metabolic problems that can also contribute to fat loss/redistribution as well. It has been fairly well established that Zerit, in particular, causes programmed cellular self destruction of fat cells, particularly under the skin and in the face and the extremities. Since the fat cells are destroyed, it has yet to be determined if, upon long term removal of the patient from Zerit, if the body will be able to create "new" fat cells to replace what was lost.
The problem in HIV positive people is that the disease and the drugs used to treat it also can, and often do, cause serious lipid elevation and fat metabolism problems. People with HIV have a very difficult time metabolizing fat but on the other hand, also have a very hard time digesting it either so it tends not to absorb into the body from food very well.
So when the sub-Q fat cells are destroyed, the newly released fat needs to be combusted (metabolized) or stored somewhere else in the body. It is this "somewhere else in the body" that is the center of the lipodystrophy issue as it will typically get transferred and packed inside of and around internal organs, beneath the abdominal wall (giving the infamous "crix belly look") or a "buffalo hump" on the back of the neck. The likelihood of lipodystrophy is greatly increased if blood lipid levels are not kept under tight pharmacological control. This is usually accomplished by using cholesterol lowering medications like Lipitor. Trigylcerides, which also become seriously elevated seem to respond best to "cold water fish oil" as trigylcerides do not typically respond to any prescription medications that I am aware of at this time--remember "cod liver oil?"--blech!! But it works and this has been scientifically demonstrated in at least one moderately recent study related to this issue. I have personally also seen enough blood work results that clearly have convinced me that it works extremely well also. At least now, fish oil comes in capsules so you don't have to taste it.
So that is a brief synopsis of the world inside of HIV and fat metabolism--or at least as best as I can distill it at this point in time--there is a tremendous amount of information out there and it is difficult to keep up with all of it all of the time. It is a subject still under much discussion and controversy and none of what I say should be construed to be absolute fact as it is based on current medical literature, and the medical community's best "guess" about what is going on. I have also thrown in my own observations as well that pretty much confirm in my own mind what I have just said. More will no doubt follow.
All of what IS known is related to HIV and its treatment. I am not aware of anything that studies any of these medications for any other purpose and doubt that anything is likely to be done scientifically along those lines in the foreseeable future.
The million dollar question then becomes, what would happen to a person that had NORMAL fat metabolism as they are HIV negative AND are not on other "offending" medications relative to blood lipids becoming elevated and redistributed? Let's face it, the idea of a medication "killing the fat cells under the skin" seems pretty appealing to a lot of guys wanting to get ultra shredded.
Of course, there are some down sides to consider. There still is the facial wasting issue (fat cells are also destroyed in the face resulting in that "sunken, hollow look") and this alone can cost several thousand dollars of cosmetic surgery to even attempt to repair. I have not yet seen one case where it was possible to completely repair the damage as there is considerably more fat in the face than one may realize under normal circumstances. Zerit will, for all practical purposes, remove pretty much all of it along with the sub-Q fat from what I have seen in people that use it for treatment of HIV.
The other down side is that Zerit is Known to cause serious mitochondrial toxicity issues which is a known and listed side effect. It has been observed that up to 70% of the mitochondria in a given cell can be dead due to Zerit. As this is the site of cellular energy production, what does this say about the issues of fatigue and muscle weakness, both of which are also listed side effects--gee that would have been a no brainer! The other issue is that Zerit can cause serious blood lactase elevation issues which also may contribute to fatigue and muscle weakness not to mention recovery issues. These effects do correct themselves upon removal from the drug, however. For a link to the NIH which gives good information on the side effects, etc. for all of the currently FDA approved drugs, check out:
http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/
So anyone ever tried this stuff that isn't HIV positive? I would be really curious as to what they observed.
But the REAL question is WHO IS THAT GUY IN HansNZ's PIC? LOL
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