Race and Your Face

Body shape changes'particularly fat loss from the face, buttocks, arms, and legs'are a common side effect of several anti-HIV medications. But it turns out that one's ethnicity plays a role in risk levels for lipoatrophy and lipodystrophy, according to a study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. It showed that Latinos are at the highest risk for lipoatrophy, posting the greatest loss of mid-arm and mid-thigh fat tissue among nearly 400 HIVers studied. Latinos also were more likely to develop such metabolic abnormalities as insulin resistance, increases in blood-glucose levels, and higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels. African-Americans were the ethnic group least likely to experience body shape changes, according to the analysis.