Vitamin B-12 is an integral component of the nervous system, and in HIV patients the disease often hampers proper nerve function. Research draws parallels between vitamin B-12 deficiency and the worsening of HIV-related symptoms such as peripheral neuropathy. Studies also suggest that HIV may progress to full blown AIDS more rapidly in the case of insufficient levels of vitamin B-12. Speak to your doctor or health-care provider about vitamin B-12 if you have HIV.
Role
The body requires vitamin B-12 to synthesize DNA, create red blood cells and regulate normal neurological function. Vitamin B-12 also plays a role in the metabolism of protein and fats and the production of hemoglobin, the blood-borne protein that transports oxygen to the cells. As a rule, vitamin B-12 exists only in animal products, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vegetarian sources include fortified breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast.
Deficiency
Vitamin B-12 deficiency occurs regularly among HIV patients. Researchers from the Brooke Army Medical Center examined 251 HIV patients and found that 13 per cent of them recorded low levels of vitamin B-12 in their blood. The exact cause of vitamin B-12 deficiency in HIV patients remains unknown. However, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Beth Israel Medical Center suggest that HIV and AIDS interfere with the metabolism of vitamin B-12. The results of these studies appeared in the February 2004 issue of the "International Journal of STD & AIDS" and the March 2002 issue of "Neurology" respectively.
Neuropathy
HIV patients often experience numbness, twitching, tingling, burning and pain in the hands and feet, a condition known as peripheral neuropathy. According to Dawn McGuire, M.D. of the University of California San Francisco, vitamin B-12 deficiency can also worsen peripheral neuropathy. Therefore, vitamin B-12 levels in HIV patients need to be evaluated regularly, and those with neuropathy may benefit from vitamin B-12 supplementation under the guidance of their physician.
Disease Progression
Low levels of vitamin B-12 appear to accelerate the progression of HIV to full blown AIDS, according to research. In February 1997, researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health examined 310 HIV-positive males over a nine year period. Those patients with the lowest levels of vitamin B-12 in their blood advanced to AIDS significantly faster than the subjects whose blood contained adequate amounts of vitamin B-12. The results of this study appeared in "The Journal of Nutrition."
References
- National Institutes of Health; Office of Dietary Supplements; Vitamin B-12; June 2011
- "International Journal of STD & AIDS"; Low Serum Vitamin B12 Levels in an Outpatient HIV-Infected Population; M.J .Hepburn, et al.; February 2004
- "Neurology"; Abnormal Cobalamin-Dependent Transmethylation in AIDS-Associated Myelopathy; A. Di Rocco, et al.; March 2002
- University of California San Francisco HIV In Site; Neurologic Manifestations of HIV; Dawn McGuire, M.D.; June 2003
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Low Serum Vitamin B-12 Concentrations are Associated with Faster Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Disease Progression; A.M. Tang, et al.; February 1997
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