There were significant this website differences in fat mass between groups with pre-ARV women having significantly lower fat mass than non-ARV women (p ≤ 0.001). Although lean mass was also lower in pre-ARV compared with non-ARV women (p = 0.005) the pre-ARV group had lower fat mass-to-lean square mass ratio than the other two groups (p = 0.002). When fully adjusting for lean mass using logarithmic regression, the pre-ARV group had significantly lower fat mass for their lean mass than the other two groups; such that for each unit of lean mass the pre-ARV group had a mean difference R788 (SE) of 21 (5) % less fat than the controls, p = 0.0002,

and 16 (5) % less fat than the non-ARV group, p = 0.02. Bone measures No significant differences in BMD at the TH, FN, LS and WBLH were found, and age and size adjustment did not reveal any differences between groups. When expressed as SD scores, there were no significant

differences between pre-ARV and non-ARV groups in BMD for any site measured (p > 0.05) and all the mean values were within a −0.5 SD of the HIV-negative reference group (Table 2). In addition, no significant differences were found in BMC values except at WBLH when fully adjusted for age, size and BA (p = 0.03). Unadjusted BA was significantly greater in both groups of HIV-positive women than HIV-negative women at some sites but these differences disappeared after adjusting for age and size (see Electronic supplementary Selleck ABT-888 material (ESM) for BA and BMC Clomifene data). Table 2 BMD of the three groups of South African women   BMD (g/cm2)     Group effecta Mean (SD) p Group 1 Group 2 Group 3   HIV-negative HIV-positive, non-ARV HIV-positive, pre-ARV   n = 98 n = 74 n = 75   Total Hip 1.013 (0.131) 0.985 (0.124) 0.988 (0.125) 0.3 Femoral Neck 0.930 (0.114) 0.916 (0.125) 0.923 (0.131) 0.8 Lumbar Spine 1.018 (0.118) 1.021 (0.109) 1.006 (0.128) 0.7 WBLH 0.958 (0.079) 0.943 (0.071) 0.947 (0.080) 0.4 ARV antiretroviral therapy, BMD bone mineral density (in gram per square centimetre), SD standard deviation, WBLH

whole body less head aGroup effect by ANOVA. There were no significant differences between pairs of groups by Scheffé post hoc tests Vitamin D status Mean (SD) 25(OH)D for the whole cohort was 60.1 (18.4) nmol/l and there were no significant differences between groups (p > 0.05). 25(OH)D concentration was <50 nmol/l in 29.6 % of individuals; with similar proportions in each of the groups in this category (26.5, 29.7 and 33.3 % in HIV-negative, non-ARV and pre-ARV, respectively). Very few subjects had a 25(OH)D concentration <25 nmol/l (1.0, 2.7 and 5.3 % in the three groups, respectively), despite the slightly greater number of pre-ARV subjects whose blood samples for 25(OH)D measurement were obtained during the winter months.