New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Micronutrient supplements reduce risk of HIV disease progression, illness

Date:
November 26, 2013
Source:
The JAMA Network Journals
Summary:
Long-term (24-month) supplementation with multivitamins plus selenium for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in Botswana in the early stages of disease who had not received antiretroviral therapy delayed time to HIV disease progression, was safe and reduced the risk of immune decline and illness, according to a study.
Share:
FULL STORY

Long-term (24-month) supplementation with multivitamins plus selenium for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in Botswana in the early stages of disease who had not received antiretroviral therapy delayed time to HIV disease progression, was safe and reduced the risk of immune decline and illness, according to a study appearing in the November 27 issue of JAMA.

“Micronutrient deficiencies, known to influence immune function, are prevalent even before the development of symptoms of HIV disease and are associated with accelerated HIV disease progression. Micronutrient supplementation has improved markers of HIV disease progression (CD4 cell count, HIV viral load) and mortality in clinical trials; however, these studies were conducted either in the late stages of HIV disease or in pregnant women,” according to background information in the article.

Marianna K. Baum, Ph.D., of Florida International University, Miami, and colleagues examined whether specific supplemental micronutrients enhance the immune system and slow HIV disease progression during the early stages of the disease in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive adults. They randomized 878 HIV patients to supplementation with daily multivitamins (B vitamins and vitamins C and E), selenium alone, multivitamins with selenium, or placebo for 24 months. The vitamins (vitamins B, C and E, and the trace element selenium) are nutrients essential for maintaining a responsive immune system. Selenium may also have an important role in preventing HIV replication.

Participants receiving the combined supplement of multivitamins plus selenium had a lower risk compared to placebo of reaching a CD4 cell count 250/µL or less (a measure that is consistent with the standard of care in Botswana for initiation of ART at the time of the study). This supplement also reduced the risk of a combination of measures of disease progression (CD4 cell count ≤ 250/µL, AIDS-defining conditions, or AIDS-related death, whichever occurred earlier).

“This evidence supports the use of specific micronutrient supplementation as an effective intervention in HIV-infected adults in early stages of HIV disease, significantly reducing the risk for disease progression in asymptomatic, ART-naive, HIV-infected adults. This reduced risk may translate into delay in the time when the HIV-infected patients experience immune dysfunction and into broader access to HIV treatment in developing countries,” the authors conclude.

The researchers add that their “findings are generalizable to other HIV subtype C-infected cohorts in resource-limited settings where the provision of ART is being scaled up, rolled out, or not yet available to all in conditions similar to those in Botswana at the time of this study.”


Story Source:

Materials provided by The JAMA Network Journals. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Marianna K. Baum, Adriana Campa, Shenghan Lai, Sabrina Sales Martinez, Lesedi Tsalaile, Patricia Burns, Mansour Farahani, Yinghui Li, Erik van Widenfelt, John Bryan Page, Hermann Bussmann, Wafaie W. Fawzi, Sikhulele Moyo, Joseph Makhema, Ibou Thior, Myron Essex, Richard Marlink. Effect of Micronutrient Supplementation on Disease Progression in Asymptomatic, Antiretroviral-Naive, HIV-Infected Adults in Botswana. JAMA, 2013; 310 (20): 2154 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2013.280923

Cite This Page:

The JAMA Network Journals. "Micronutrient supplements reduce risk of HIV disease progression, illness." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 November 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131126191547.htm>.
The JAMA Network Journals. (2013, November 26). Micronutrient supplements reduce risk of HIV disease progression, illness. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131126191547.htm
The JAMA Network Journals. "Micronutrient supplements reduce risk of HIV disease progression, illness." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131126191547.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES