AIDS as a Disease of Nutritional Deficiency

 From one point of view Aids can be understood as a disease of nutritional deficiency. However, it is not like other deficiency diseases. Most nutritional deficiencies are caused by not getting enough food or not eating foods that contain specific vitamins and minerals. That is not true with Aids. Aids is a disease of nutritional deficiency caused by a virus.

The HIV virus is genetically programed to produce a selenium containing protein that is part of its outer coat – its “envelope”. Every time the cell produces an HIV virus, it uses up an infinitesimal amount of the body’s supply of this essential trace element. As HIV viral load gradually increases, the level of selenium available to the immune system decreases. As the body’s selenium level falls, CD4 count declines along with it.

Selenium (Se) is absolutely essential for human health. Its molecules form the critical, active part of the universal antioxidant glutathione peroxidase (GPx). GPx/selenium is found in every cell of the body. It detoxifies cells of the toxins and molecular waste products that result from chemical reactions within the cell that would otherwise pollute them.

The immune system performs the same function for the body as GPx does for each cell. It cleans the body of viruses, fungi, bacteria and toxins, including alcohol that must be eliminated in order to maintain good health. The organs of the immune system including the liver, spleen, kidneys, thymus and lymph nodes require a higher concentration of selenium in order to do their job. If a person does not get enough selenium, their immune system will be weak. If they get enough, it will normally be strong.

Most people in developed nations eat foods that contain the necessary micronutrients, enough protein and calories, and adequate selenium. But not even the best diet can prevent the progression of HIV becoming Aids. A basic principle of nutrition is that poor diets contribute to health problems and poorer disease outcomes. This is as true with HIV as with other diseases. But because HIV depletes the body’s selenium supply, we need to give selenium special consideration when it comes to understanding and treating this disease.

So, what is the most important concern related to nutrition and HIV disease? First, a healthy well-balanced diet including all the vitamins and minerals is important for everyone. HIV disease affects the levels of some micronutrients in the body and some micronutrients in turn have an effect on the health of those with HIV. However, the only aspect of nutrition that actually slows and to an extent even reverses this process is selenium. When selenium is specifically supplemented, HIV patients have improved outcomes. They live longer and healthier. However, people with HIV should avoid iron and zinc supplements. They actively advance disease progression. Multi-vitamin-mineral tablets should be selected to reduce or eliminate iron and maximize selenium. Vitamin C also conflicts with one form of selenium found in nutritional supplements - sodium selenite. Medications that work by increasing oxidation should also be avoided. These include anti-malarial drugs that stimulate HIV replication and rapidly increase HIV viral load.

Understanding the interaction between selenium and HIV and how they affect each other; then using selenium supplements to boost immunity, makes a significant difference in staying healthy. We can no longer escape recognizing selenium’s central influence on the disease process. Like using vitamin C to reverse scurvy, treating HIV with selenium shows rapid, dramatic results. In fact, the extremely high correlation between the progression of HIV and the continuing loss of selenium through viral replication suggests this disease should be renamed. Because we now know what causes Aids, it no longer fits the definition of a syndrome. Calling it Acquired Immune Deficiency of Selenium is much more accurate and meaningful than using the outdated name Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Revising this acronym provides a more vivid description of what actually takes place during HIV disease progression. It helps demystify Aids.

More than thirty years after this pandemic first emerged, concerned scientists continue to lament they cannot fully explain how the HIV virus causes Aids. Yet one group of researchers has put their finger on a critical missing link in the chain of causality. That is that as HIV increases in the body, it drains the immune system of the selenium it needs to operate effectively. Replace the lost selenium by using supplements and CD4 counts rapidly rise and immune function rebounds.

Selenium supplements are not a cure. They can’t eliminate the virus. However, they constitute a major step forward in improving combination therapy. Added to ARVs they provide a more balanced therapeutic regimen. Some people in the field of HIV/Aids wish to ignore this step forward on the road to a cure. But the mass of science supporting this conclusion is indisputable. Although only briefly described here, this is a significant advance in the fundamental understanding of this disease. We need to take action to help those in developing countries where advanced combination therapy often reaches less than half of those infected. Many still rely on first generation ARVs that are less effective and have greater side effects. Selenium tablets can be especially useful in providing an initial, early therapy for HIV so a person can start taking selenium as soon as they test positive, even before going on anti-viral drugs. It has an even more dramatic impact in the final stages of Aids when severe selenium depletion causes wasting, opportunistic infections and the other symptoms of end-stage disease. The bottom line is - selenium is beneficial for life.