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# Dietary supplements helps children with HIV/AIDS
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/dietary_supplements_hiv_aids_0725120341/
- Published: 2012-07-25T16:40:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:12:34.000Z
- Description: A review in a Chinese medical journal reports mixed effects of supplements in children with HIV/AIDS. Selenium, vitamin D, B, C and E and multivitamins were tied to benefits, while vitamin A doubled mortality risk in infants exposed through breastfeeding and zinc aided viral production.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Supplements, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By david Liu, PHD  

Wednesday July 25, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Children with HIV/AIDS can be helped with dietary supplements, according to a paper published in March 2012 in Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban. 

Z. Maggie of Central South University in Changsha, China and colleagues reviewed study papers to see how dietary supplements may affect children with HIV/AIDS. They said dietary supplements can give both positive and negative effects in HIV/AIDS children.

Selenium, a mineral that is antioxidative against free radicals, was found to boost immunity, which is a good thing for children with HIV/AIDS and even healthy people. 

Vitamin D supplements were found to delay the transmission of HIV from mother to children and reduce stunted growth associated with persistent diarrhea.

Vitamins B, C, and E supplements were found to delay HIV disease progression, reduce oxidative stress and lower HIV viral load. 

Multivitamin supplementation were found even more effective in delaying HIV progression. That is, children supplemented with multivitamins were less likely to develop AIDS than those who did not receive the supplements.

Protein was found to improve cognitive and motor developments in children as well as help HIV-positive children achieve 100% weight for height. 

On the other hands, some dietary supplements were found to have negative effects on HIV/AIDS children. 

For instance, vitamin A was found to double the risk of mortality of HIV/AIDS in infants exposed to HIV via breastfeeding. 

Zinc promotes production of infectious virus through its action on reverse transcriptase. Some micro-nutrients interact with each other leading to side effects such as diarrhea in children with HIV/AIDS. Some nutritional supplements interact with antiretroviral drugs leading to treatment failure. 

The authors concluded that it is important that children with HIV/AIDS should be given the right doses of dietary supplements or nutrients and their immune responses should be closely monitored.