[SAATHII]Nutritional Status and Prevention

July 30, 2001

Assuring adequate dietary intake of both food and supplements is very

important as part of a comprehensive care program for managing HIV disease.

The benefits of various supplements have been shown in many studies. The

study below further suggests that micronutrient status is important to

reduce the risk of infection!

Condoms, good food, clean water. All can help to stem the tide of HIV.

M.

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Mehendale SM, Shepherd ME, Brookmeyer RS, Semba RD, Divekar AD,

Gangakhedkar RR, Joshi S, Risbud AR, Paranjape RS, Gadkari DA, Bollinger

RC. Low carotenoid concentration and the risk of HIV seroconversion in

Pune, India. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2001 Apr 1;26(4):352-359/

National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, India. sanjaymehendale@...

Low vitamin A and carotenoid levels could increase the risk of sexual HIV

acquisition by altering the integrity of the genital epithelium or by

immunologic dysfunction. We addressed this issue by measuring serum vitamin

A and carotenoid levels in patients who were at risk of subsequent HIV

infection. In a nested case-control study in individuals attending two

sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in Pune, India, serum

micronutrient levels were measured in 44 cases with documented HIV

seroconversion (11 women and 33 men) and in STD patients matched for gender

and length of follow-up with no subsequent HIV seroconversion (controls).

STD patients in Pune had low vitamin A and carotenoid levels, and low serum

beta-carotene levels were independently associated with an increased risk

of subsequent HIV seroconversion. STD patients with beta-carotene levels

less than 0.075 micromol/L were 21 times more likely to acquire HIV

infection than those with higher levels (adjusted odds ratio = 21.1; p

=.01). No such association was observed in case of other non-provitamin A

carotenoids. This study reports the first evidence of an association

between low serum provitamin A carotenoid levels and an increased risk for

heterosexual HIV acquisition in STD patients in Pune, India.

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