How Does Hiv Affect Vitamin D?

Vitamin D deficiency is common among people living with HIV, which can have detrimental effects on health. Vitamin D is responsible for regulating calcium and supporting bone health, muscle health and preventing often-fatal diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and even some cancers. In the HIV patient, vitamin D is important for healthy cell function and immunity to illness.

Significance

In 2003, Mario Cozzolino and colleagues published a study in "AIDS," the official journal of the international AIDS society, that found that HIV and AIDS did not have a direct effect on vitamin D levels. Rather, it is treatment with certain pharmaceutical drugs and other external factors that causes vitamin D deficiency in HIV-positive patients. Since then, researchers have been building upon the information Cozzolino and colleagues provided to determine what factors inhibit the body's ability to develop or absorb the vitamin.

Anti-Retroviral Therapy

Patients receiving anti-retroviral (ARV) therapies are at a greater risk for developing vitamin D deficiency than other patients, according to researchers Van Den Bout-Van Den Beukel. In a 2008 study published in "AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses," the researchers claim that those receiving ARV treatments have lower vitamin D levels and higher risk for bone problems than patients not taking ARV treatments. Other researchers, such as Michael Yin and Emily Stein, have also found vitamin D levels to be lower in patients receiving ARV treatments in their 2011 study published in Oxford's journal, "Clinical Infectious Diseases."

Kidneys and Digestion

According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, up to 10 percent of people with HIV will have kidney problems that could lead to death. Vitamin D is activated in both the liver and the kidney, so patients with kidney problems may have difficulty metabolizing the vitamin. Similarly, vitamin D must be adequately absorbed through the digestive tract, and various HIV- and AIDS-related illnesses can keep the body from absorbing the vitamin.

Skin Color

Skin pigmentation is one of the main factors influencing vitamin D deficiency and non-white HIV patients have increased risk for adverse health effects associated with low levels of vitamin D. Because vitamin D is produced when UV-B sun rays enter skin cells, melanin, the pigment in darker skin that protects against sunburn, can prevent the body from producing enough vitamin D.

Getting the Vitamin

While supplementation with vitamin D is a viable option, experts such as the U.S. National Institutes of Health suggest getting vitamin D through diet and exposure to sunlight. The Vitamin D Council states that HIV patients with low levels of vitamin D often get less exposure to UV-B rays due to urban living and often do not get enough through foods. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna contain vitamin D. Also, vitamin-D fortified products like milk, yogurt or juice can also be dietary sources of the vitamin.