Daily Consumption of Unprocessed/Minimally Processed Foods and Its Relationship with Serum Phosphorus, CD3+, and CD45+ Cell Counts in People Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the potential associations between the daily consumption of unprocessed/minimally processed foods and serum phosphorus levels, CD3+, and CD45+ cell counts in clinically stable people living with HIV (PLHIV).

METHODS

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A total of 92 PLHIV of both sexes participated. Sociodemographic information, physical activity level, anthropometric and body composition data, dietary habits, and blood samples were collected.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 43.0 ± 12.0 years, with a body mass index of 26.5 ± 6.3 kg/m2. The majority were male (60.8%), single (64.1%), had low educational attainment (55.4%), were non-smokers (64.1%) and did not consume alcoholic beverages (51.1%), and were physically active (70.7%). A positive association was observed between the daily consumption of unprocessed/minimally processed foods and serum phosphorus levels (p = 0.01), as well as CD3+ (p = 0.04) and CD45+ (p = 0.04) cell counts. Furthermore, positive correlations were identified between this dietary pattern and serum phosphorus (p = 0.001; r = 0.33) and the percentages of CD3+ (p = 0.03; r = 0.21) and CD45+ (p = 0.03; r = 0.22).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study suggests that habitual consumption of unprocessed/minimally processed foods is positively associated with serum phosphorus levels, CD3+, and CD45+ cell counts in PLHIV. While these associations do not imply causality or enhanced antiviral immunity, they highlight the potential role of diet quality in the metabolic and immunological maintenance of stable patients.