Dietary Patterns and Metabolic Syndrome Risk in Adults Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Study in Lusaka District, Zambia

Background: Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, affects approximately 25% of the global population, with a significant impact on the 37,900,000 people living with HIV in 2017. Objective: This cross-sectional study (April-July 2020) in Lusaka District aimed to assess dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome risk in 180 randomly sampled HIV-positive individuals (aged 18 and above) from three health facilities. Methods: Participants underwent anthropometric measurements, blood pressure checks, and biochemical assessments. High prevalence rates were observed for factors like high waist-hip ratio (39%), high total cholesterol (52%), high triglycerides (46%), and high blood pressure (33%). Results: Three dietary clusters (omnivorous, vegetarian, unclassified) showed no significant association with metabolic syndrome or its components (p > 0.05). Conclusion: While metabolic syndrome prevalence among HIV-positive individuals is low, there are notable occurrences of high blood pressure and predictors of non-communicable diseases. Commonly consumed foods did not show a significant association with metabolic syndrome predictors (p > 0.05).