Zinc, A Benefit to People with HIV

It is a good sign to see more reports on the benefits of nutrient supplementation for people with chronic disease. See related Natural Health News 60+ posts - Different-approach-needed-for-HIV/AIDS

May 19, 2010

Daily Zinc Supplements May Slow CD4 Cell Loss and Reduce Diarrhea

Daily zinc supplementation may help slow disease progression, notably in people living with HIV who are unable to maintain viral loads below undetectable while on an antiretroviral (ARV) drug regimen, and reduce diarrhea, according to a new study published in the June 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID).

Adequate zinc levels are critical for immune function. However, according to Marianna K. Baum, PhD, RD, of Florida International University and her fellow CID study authors, zinc deficiency occurs in more than 50 percent of people living with HIV. In turn, Baum’s group set out to determine the safety and efficacy of long-term zinc supplementation as it related to HIV disease progression.
The randomized, controlled trial conducted by Baum’s team enrolled 231 HIV-positive adults with low plasma zinc levels (less than 0.75 milligrams per liter [mg/L]) to receive zinc supplements (12 mg of elemental zinc for women and 15 mg for men) or placebo for 18 months. The primary measurement of the study was immunological failure, defined as a CD4 count below 200 at any time point during the study.
The average age of the study participants was 43. Seventy-seven percent were black, and 73 percent were men. Though 62 percent of the study participants were receiving ARV therapy, 69 percent had detectable viral loads, indicating poor control of the virus with the regimens being used. About 34 percent of the patients had CD4 counts below 200 upon entering the study; 22 percent had CD4s between 200 and 350, and 44 percent had CD4s above 350.
Zinc supplementation for 18 months resulted in a 75 percent reduction in the likelihood of immunological failure, after controlling the data for age, sex, food insecurity, baseline CD4 cell count, viral load and ARV therapy.
Daily zinc supplementation also reduced the rate of diarrhea by more than half.
There was no evidence that taking zinc supplements actually reduced the risk of death, though the study was not designed or powered to examine this aspect. A total of 11 patients in the treatment arm died compared with eight in the placebo arm.
Baum’s group also reported that daily zinc supplementation was safe. Her group reported no serious side effects.
“The results of this study can be generalized primarily to HIV-infected populations with prevalent zinc deficiency, such as drug users, children, men who have sex with men, and populations in developing countries, as well as those with poor viral control while receiving [antiretroviral therapy],” the authors conclude. “This evidence supports the recommendation of zinc therapy as a safe, simple and cost-effective tool to improve the immune response and to reduce morbidity and should be considered as an adjunct therapy for HIV infection.”

Why Wait? Boost T-Cells Now with Supplements

Improving your supplement regimen now will do a great deal to boost T-cell function.

Zinc is one of the key minerals that can help your T-cells work much more effectively.

Other supplements include those that support thymus function because this is where T-cells are activated.

Supplements already have a known history of safety, so you won't be playing a "wild card".

T-cell vaccine could treat cancer
NORMAN, Okla., May 28 (UPI) -- Vaccines that activate T-cells in the immune system may someday be used to treat cancer, HIV and other viral diseases, scientists in Oklahoma said.

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have been working on a T-cell vaccine for West Nile virus that could be applied to other viral diseases, project team leader William Hildebrand said.

"No one has ever done this with a T-cell vaccine, so we're learning; but now we are starting to get some traction. We are finding that a T-cell vaccine can work," Hildebrand told The Oklahoman in a story published Friday.

T-cells kill virus-infected cells in the body, including cells that become cancerous.

Until now, vaccine research has focused on generating antibodies to prevent illness. Many antibody vaccines work well, but are not effective against all viral diseases, Hildebrand and his team wrote in a recent issue of the Journal of Immunology.

T-cell vaccines would activate specific parts of the immune system to target a virus and kill it, said Hildebrand, who worked on the project with scientists at Washington University in St. Louis.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/05/28/Report-T-cell-vaccine-could-treat-cancer/UPI-86291275055355/

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2006/09/zinc.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/06/benfits-of-zinc.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/zinc-benefit-to-people-with-hiv.html