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Boosting your intake of certain vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids could boost your immune system and keep you healthier for longer if you're HIV-positive.
The reality is that most antiretrovirals deplete one or more vitamins and/or minerals in the body.
However, the association between vitamins, minerals and HIV/Aids is complicated and taking vast doses of certain of these micronutrients may even hamper the immune system.
Let's take a brief look at some of the micronutrients and how much you should be taking:
Beta-carotene: modest doses of about 180 mg/day can stimulate immune response and increase the number of helper T-cells.
Vitamin A: modest doses stimulate immune function, but excessive doses can suppress the immune response.
Vitamin E: supplementation of 4 x the RDA or 40 mg/day restores cell-mediated immunity and increases T-cell number and activity, but megadoses (300 mg/day) have an inhibitory effect.
Vitamin B12: Up to 1/3 of HIV/Aids patients suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency, which can lead to anaemia. AZT can also cause anaemia and patients should take at least the RDA for vitamin B2, namely 3 microgram/day.
Pyridoxine or B6: This B vitamin is also often lacking in HIV/Aids patients and, because it is required for protein synthesis, a pyridoxine deficiency can have more serious effects on the immune system than other B-group vitamins. Positive responses have been produced in HIV/Aids patients receiving 20 mg per day.
TAKE NOTE: Always consult with your doctor first before taking any supplements.
