Basic Principles of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS: Making Improvements in Diet to Enhance Health

Abstract

The relationships among nutritional status, infectious diseases and immune system suggest nutrition as a cofactor in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) progression. Poor nutritional status and HIV infection interact with each other leading to the development of opportunistic infections, malignancies, debilitation and death. Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is characterized by progressive destruction of immune system. Malnutrition that is multifactorial is, therefore, one of the major complications of HIV infection that is poorly addressed in HIV intervention. Early nutritional intervention when individuals living with HIV show active weight loss is important in maximizing gain of lean body mass. Since malnutrition is the major complication of HIV infection, which results in wasting syndrome, it should be termed as a prognostic factor in advanced HIV infection though malnutrition is a result of not only HIV infection but also numerous HIV-associated complications. Studies have recommended clinical trials to evaluate prevalence of malnutrition among those living with HIV so as to examine the efficacy of supplementing with specific nutrients at various stages of HIV infection as well as combining therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition with antiretroviral treatment in children of HIV-positive mothers. Therefore, good nutrition guarantees excellent health in HIV infection.

Undernutrition and Its Associated Factors Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Children on Follow Up in Amhara Region Referral Hospitals, Ethiopia, 2020

“…Thus, Additional care for opportunistic infections and routine first-line ART may also aggravate the side effects of patients’ like loss of appetite and poor nutritional status and compromise their resistance to the disease. 13,36,37 Similarly, the odds of having undernutrition were higher among children who have poor dietary diversity, compared to those who have good dietary diversity. This also supported by other studies.…”

Association Between Body Mass Index Variation and Early Mortality Among 834 Ethiopian Adults Living with HIV on ART: A Joint Modelling Approach

“…Approximately 26% of adults living with HIV in Ethiopia are undernourished [3] as HIV increases nutritional requirements and reduces food intake because of mouth and throat sores, loss of appetite, medication side effects, and household food insecurity. Furthermore, it decreases nutrient absorption because of HIV infection of intestinal cells, diarrhoea, and vomiting [4].…”

Correlation between the immuno-virological response and the nutritional profile of treatment-experienced HIV-infected patients in the East region of Cameroon

“…HIV/AIDS and malnutrition seemingly have a synergistic interaction within the host, characterized by interaction between a poor nutritional status and HIV infection (driven by progressive degradation of immune system). This leads to the development of opportunistic infections and increases the risks of malignancies, CD4 T-cell depletion and death [ 10 , 11 ]. In effect, malnutrition increases the risk of HIV pathogenesis, while HIV in turn triggers malnutrition by depleting the immune system from nutrient intake, absorption and utilization [ 12 ].…”