The body requires nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, micronutrients and minerals in order to function and provide immunity to disease. When the immune system is compromised by HIV disease it is even more imperative that you get adequate vitamins to support the immune system. Because patients with HIV often have difficulty with absorption, poor appetite, secondary infections and illnesses, it is important to have adequate vitamin intake to help fight the disease.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is often deficient in patients with HIV disease. It is an important antioxidant that is required for normal functioning of the immune system, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Vitamin A or its metabolite, retinol, is required to maintain the integrity and function of the skin and mucosal cells which are the body's first line of defense against infection. Vitamin A plays a central role in the development and differentiation of white blood cells, the cells that fight infection. Activation of T-lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, is controlled by vitamin A.
Vitamin B6
The Well Project also recommends that patients with HIV take a B complex vitamin, especially those that include vitamin B6. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, impaired immune function has been noted in vitamin B6 deficiency. Interleukin-2, a protein important to the immune system and a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes are decreased in B6 deficiency. The Linus Pauling Institute notes that the amount of B6 required to restore these immune impairments are above the recommended daily allowance. The Institute recommends 2.9 mg/day for men and 1.9 mg/day for women.
Vitamin D
Patients with HIV are often vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is an important immune modulator. Most cells in the immune system have a receptor site that attracts vitamin D in order to activate the cell. The Linus Pauling Institute note that there is considerable evidence that vitamin D has a variety of effects on the immune system which may enhance the ability of the immune system to fight disease.
References
- The Well Project: Vitamins and Supplements and HIV
- Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: Feeding hope: nutrition plays a key role in HIV/AIDS care
- Linus Pauling Institute Oregon State University: Vitamin A
- Linus Pauling Institute Oregon State University: Vitamin B6
- Linus Pauling Institute Oregon State University: Vitamin D
