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Studies on Nutrition & HIV/AIDS

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Q: Facts/Statistics on Nutrition & HIV/AIDS

I am trying to find updated facts and statistics related to HIV and nutrition for the organization that I work for. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks you. (January, 1999)

A: Ken Stringer (Website Administrator) responds:

The first place you might check is to scroll down to the next question: "Any new studies on nutrition and vitamins?" Diana Peabody and Chester Myers cited quite a few references. Perhaps what you're looking for can be found there.

Chester Myers, PhD, MS responds:

I assume the questioner has the Johns Hopkins, Berkeley, Miami epidemiology-type studies re "hazard ratios", "risk" and the like, indicating about a doubling of lifespan for those who used vitamin/mineral supplementation with little indication of help from variation of food intake per se. Data post HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) are not there for the vitamin/mineral supplementation, but body compositional studies may be of interest as well as any data re use of anabolics/steroidal hormones.

One database to try is at www.pharmanord.dk/pnrm/resman.html#TOC.

Diana Peabody, RD responds:

Probably the questioner is looking for a few really definitive studies that emphasize the role of nutritional therapy. The articles Ken referred to above are a good start. I use www.nlm.nih.gov a fair bit to find new studies.

Q: Studies on Nutrition & Vitamins

Any new studies on nutrition and vitamins? (September, 1998)

Diana Peabody, RD responds:

Here are some studies published in 1996-98. There are others, but time prohibits listing everything. I am listing the title of the article, the principle author and the reference for finding it.

"HIV-1 infection in women is associated with severe nutritional deficiencies"
Marianna Baum
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum retrovirol 1997 Dec 1;16(4):272-8

"Serum vitamin E decreases in HIV-seropositive subjects over time"
Pacht
J Lab Clin Med 1997 Sept;130(3):293-6

"Antioxidant therapy and HIV infection: 1998"
D Kotler
Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:7-9

"Oxidative stress and plasma antioxidant micronutrients in humans with HIV infection"
Joane Allard
Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:143-7

"Antioxidant micronutrients and HIV infection"
Lacey CJ
Int J STD AIDS 1996 Nov;7(7):485-9

"Antioxidant vitamins and immunodeficiency"
Mastroiacovo P
Int j Vitam Nutr Res 1996;66(2)141-5

"The influence of antioxidant nutrients on viral infection"
Melinda A Beck
Nutrition Reviews Jan 1998 ;56(1S):140-145

"NF-kappa B-independent suppression of HIV expression by ascorbic acid"
Harakeh, S
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1997 Feb 10;(13(3):235-9

"Serum malondialdehyde in HIV seropositive children"
Jareno EJ
Free Redic Biol Med 1998 Feb;24(3):503-6

"Effects of micronutrient intake on survival in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection"
Tang AM
Am J Epidemiol 1996 Jun 15;143(12):1244-56

"Micronutrient profiles in HIV-1-infected heterosexual adults"
Skurnick JH
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Human Retrovirol 1996 May 1;12(1):75-83

"Micronutrient status in relationship to mortality in HIV-1 disease"
Marianna Baum
Nutrition Reviews 1998 Jan;56(1s):135-9

"Pathogenesis and pathophysiology of anemia in HIV infection"
Kreuzer
Ann Hematol 1997 Nov;75(5-6):179-87

"The enzymatic antioxidant system in blood and glutathione status in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients: effects of supplementation with selenium or beta-carotene"
Delmas-Beauvieux
Am J Clin Nutr 1996 Jul;64(1):101-7

"Selenium, vitamin A, vitamin E serum depletions are correlated with weight loss and not with CD4-cell depletion for AIDS status"
Tassie
Int Conf AIDS 1996;abstract WeB 3261

"High risk of HIV-related mortality is associated with selenium deficiency"
Baum MK
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 1997 Aug 15;15(5):370-4

"One year supplementation of HIV-positive patients with selenium or beta-carotene"
Constans J
3rd Conf Retro and Opportun Infect 1996 Jan #122

"Selenium mediated inhibition of transcription factor NF-Kappa B and HIV-1 LTR promoter activity"
Makropoulos V
Archives of Toxicology 1996;70(5):277-83

"Serum selenium, plasma glutathione and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase levels in asymptomatic versus symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection"
Look MP
Eur J Clic Nutr 1997 Apr;51(4):266-72

"Muscle involvement in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients is asociated with marded selenium deficiency"
Chariot P
Muscle Nerve 1997 Mar;20(3):386-9

"Selenium supplementation suppresses tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in vitro"
Hori K
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1997 Oct 10;13(15):1325-32

"Serum selenium versus lymphocyte subsets and markers of disease progression and inflammatory response in human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection"
Look MP
Biol trace Elem Res 1997 Jan;56(1):31-41

"Vitamin A supplementation and human immunodeficiency virus load in injection drug users"
Semba RD
I Infect Dis 1998 Mar;177(3):611-16

"Serum retinol and HIV-1 RNA viral load in rapid and slow progressors"
Camp WL
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirtol 1998 May 1;18(1):21-6

"Association between serum vitamin A and E levels and HIV-1 disease progression"
Tang AM
AIDS 1997 Apr;11(5):613-20

"Low serum B12 concentrations are associated with faster human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) disease progression"
Tang AM
J Nutr 1997 feb;127(2):345-51

"Elevated plasma concentration of reduced homocysteine in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection"
MAuller F
Am J clin Nutr 1996 Feb;63(2):242-8

"Serum vitamin E decreases in HIV-seropositive subjects over time"
Pacht ER
J Lab Clin Med 1997 Sept;130(3):293-6

In progress is the Mixed Carotenoid Study (Canadian Trials Network). Principle investigator is James Austin. Diana Peabody is an investigator at one of the sites.

MK Baum has recently received funding to run a selenium intervention study in Miami where study patients will receive 200 mcg selenium daily.

Joan Skurnick presented her work at the Boston Micronutrient conference where they found in HIV-positive persons lower concentrations of total carotene, plasma glutathione and magnesium. There was a tendency (not significant) to have lower serum vitamin A, E, and C. Across the disease spectrum, taking supplements was associated with fewer incidences of low serum levels of antioxidants.

Alice Tang also presented her work on B vitamins in Boston. In a study group of gay men they found 11% had low B6, 12% had low B12 and 8% had low folate. In the IDU group 11.5% had low folate and 1% had low B12. The also found that low B12 significantly increased the risk of progression to AIDS but low B6 and folate did not.

Gail Shor-Posner presented work on B6 and B12:
Low B6 was associated with increased psycological stress in HIV-infected bereaved men. Low B12 was associated with decreased cognitive performance. She speculated that B6 and B12 supplmentation may provide a neuroprotective effect even for those with normal blood levels.

Chester Myers, PhD, MS responds:

Just two studies to add to Diana's list:

1) Fawzi WW and others, "Randomised trial of effects of vitamin supplements on pregnancy outcomes and T cell counts in HIV-1-infected women in Tanzania", Lancet 351:1998:1477-1482
2) Kanter AS and others, "Supplemental multivitamins or vitamin B complex significantly delays progression to AIDS and death in South African patients infected with HIV", abstr 217, 5th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Chicago, 1998.

These studies add to a rather long list of various types of studies indicating that a multivitamin, especially with emphasis on the B complex, should be considered an essential part of good nutrition for people with HIV. It would seem prudent that any additional supplementation should be based first on a multivitamin for baseline. Supplementing with only one or two micronutrients could exacerbate existing deficiencies of other micronutrients.

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