NEW YORK, Feb 02 (Reuters Health) -- Gradual weight loss and increased
breakdown of proteins leading to wasting of muscles are hallmarks of AIDS. Now,
researchers say a combination of dietary counseling and nutritional supplements
can reduce protein breakdown and increase muscle mass in HIV-infected patients.
In fact, supplement use "may support (the) beneficial health effects of
currently available antiretroviral therapies," report Dr. Ulrich Keller and
associates at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland. They published their
findings in the January issue of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation.
In their study, the Swiss team gave 15 HIV-infected patients in stable
clinical condition either nutritional supplements to take by mouth plus dietary
counseling, or no supplements and no specific counseling. Supplements were
fortified with proteins, carbohydrates, fats, electrolytes and vitamins and
minerals. Dietary counseling was tailored to suit the needs and symptoms of
individual patients, and featured information on balanced nutrition and how to
change the diet to deal with problems such as diarrhea, nausea and weight loss.
The investigators observed a significant decrease in protein breakdown
processes signifying muscle breakdown among supplemented/counseled patients,
while untreated patients showed no change. Patients receiving supplements also
experienced an increase in lean body mass, accompanied by a decrease in fat
mass, the authors report. However, the therapy did not affect HIV-related immune
markers such as CD4 immune cell counts, nor did the patients taking supplements
report a better quality of life.
According to Keller and colleagues, the findings suggest that nutritional
supplementation plus dietary counseling may help prevent the breakdown of muscle
in HIV-infected patients. The team concludes that it may benefit AIDS patients
to add this therapy to antiretroviral drug therapy.
