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What You Need To Know

Thu 27 May 2010 09:40:17 | 0 comments

Give your body a boost by focusing on fitness and choosing the right combination of foods and nutritional supplements. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful:

What You Need To Know:

Mix in a multi
Take a daily multivitamin supplement to prevent common deficiencies associated with the disease

Try selenium supplements
Taking 400 mcg a day of selenium under a doctor's supervision can result in fewer infections, a healthier appetite, and other benefits

Get to know NAC
Take 800 mg a day of the supplement N-acetyl cysteine to slow the decline in immune function

Discover boxwood
Support CD4 cell counts by taking 990 mg a day of this herbal extract containing leaves and stems

Go gluten-free
Forego foods made with wheat, rye, barley, or oats to reduce symptoms of diarrhea

Work in a workout
Slow HIV progression by exercising three to four times each week

These recommendations are not comprehensive and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or pharmacist.

Continue reading the full HIV and AIDs article for more in-depth, fully-referenced information on medicines, vitamins, herbs, and dietary and lifestyle changes that may be helpful.

Dietary changes that may be helpful
People with AIDS often lose significant amounts of weight or suffer from recurrent diarrhea. A diet high in protein and total calories may help a person maintain his or her body weight. In addition, whole foods are preferable to refined and processed foods. Whole foods contain larger amounts of many vitamins and minerals, and people with HIV infection tend to suffer from multiple nutritional deficiencies.

Nonetheless, no evidence currently suggests that dietary changes are curative for people with AIDS, or even that they significantly influence the course of the disease. In fact, a controlled trial comparing the efficacy of three
nutritional regimens in the prevention of weight loss in HIV-positive people found no benefit from increasing caloric intake.4 A 500-calorie per day caloric supplement with fatty acids plus a multivitamin and minerals did not
promote increases in body weight beyond that offered by a multivitamin-mineral supplement alone.

AIDS-related weight loss and chronic diarrhea are sometimes the result of abnormal intestinal function in the absence of an infectious organism. This condition, called "HIV enteropathy" (pronounced "en-ter-OP-a-thee"), may respond to a gluten-free diet. In a preliminary trial,5 men with HIV enteropathy were given a gluten-free diet for one week. During that week, the number of episodes of diarrhea decreased by nearly 40%. When gluten-containing foods were re-introduced for a week, the diarrhea returned. When they were eliminated a second time, again for one week, the episodes of diarrhea were again reduced. Participants in the study also experienced significant weight gain during the gluten-free periods.

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful
Loss of strength and lean body mass are frequent complications in people with AIDS. Drug therapy with anabolic steroids is sometimes used to counteract these losses. Preliminary trials suggest that progressive resistance training (i.e.,
weight training) may be used as an alternative or adjunct to steroids in this disease. In a preliminary trial, people with HIV who did progressive resistance training three times per week for eight weeks had significant increases in their
lean body mass.6 Exercise of any type three to four times per week or more has been associated with slower progression to AIDS at one year and with a slower progression to death from AIDS at one year in men.7

Vitamins that may be helpful
Because people with HIV infection or AIDS often have multiple nutritional deficiencies, a broad-spectrum nutritional supplement may be beneficial. In one trial, HIV-positive men who took a multivitamin-mineral supplement had
slower onset of AIDS, compared with men who did not take a supplement.8 Use of a multivitamin by pregnant and breast-feeding Tanzanian women with HIV did not affect the risk of transmission of HIV from mother to child, either in
utero, during birth, or from breast-feeding.9

Selenium deficiency is an independent factor associated with high mortality among HIV-positive people.10 HIV-positive people who took selenium supplements experienced fewer infections, better intestinal function, improved
appetite, and improved heart function (which had been impaired by the disease) than those who did not take the supplements.11 The usual amount of selenium taken was 400 mcg per day.

Selenium deficiency has been found more often in people with HIV-related cardiomyopathy (heart abnormalities) than in those with HIV and normal heart function.12 People with HIV-related cardiomyopathy may benefit from
selenium supplementation. In a small preliminary trial, people with AIDS and cardiomyopathy, 80% of whom were found to be deficient in selenium, were given 800 mcg of selenium per day for 15 days, followed by 400 mcg per day for eight
days. Improvements in heart function were noted after selenium supplementation.13 People wishing to supplement with more than 200 mcg of selenium per day should be monitored by a doctor.

The amino acid NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) has been shown to inhibit the replication of HIV in test tube studies.14 In a double-blind trial, supplementing with 800 mg per day of NAC slowed the rate of decline in immune function in
people with HIV infection. NAC also promotes the synthesis of glutathione, a naturally-occurring antioxidant that is believed to be protective in people with HIV infection and AIDS.15

The combination of glutamine, arginine, and the amino acid derivative, hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB), may prevent loss of lean body mass in people with AIDS-associated wasting. In a double-blind trial, AIDS patients who had lost 5% of their body weight in the previous three months received either placebo or a nutrient mixture containing 1.5 grams of HMB, 7 grams of L-glutamine, and 7 grams of L-arginine twice daily for eight weeks.16 Those supplemented with placebo gained an average of 0.37 pounds, mostly fat, but lost lean body mass. Those taking the nutrient mixture gained an average of 3 pounds, 85% of which was lean body weight.

In a double-blind trial, the non-disease-causing yeast Saccharomyces boulardii (1 gram three times per day) helped stop diarrhea in HIV-positive people.17 However, people with severely compromised immune function have been
reported to develop yeast infections in the bloodstream after consuming some yeast organisms that are benign for healthy people.18 19 For that reason, people with HIV infection who wish to take Saccharomyces boulardii, brewer's yeast
(Saccharomyces cerevisiae), or other live organisms should first consult a doctor.

A deficient level of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) in the blood is associated with poor outcomes in people with HIV.20 Large amounts of supplemental DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) may alleviate fatigue and depression in HIV-positive men and women. In a preliminary trial, men and women with HIV infection took 200–500 mg of DHEA per day for eight weeks.21 All participants initially had both low mood and low energy.