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Proper nutrition is a powerful tool for the successful management of HIV disease. Medical research confirms that weight loss – especially muscle tissue wasting – often leads to malnutrition and is a fatal manifestation of AIDS. Malnutrition has also been identified as a distinct cofactor contributing to HIV disease progression. Nourishing food, medications, and nutritional supplements all work synergistically to fight the immune suppression initiated by HIV. Appropriate dietary changes can significantly mitigate the side effects of AIDS medications and the symptoms associated with opportunistic infections. The availability of protease inhibitors can improve the action of nucleoside and non-nucleoside analog drugs to more effectively manage HIV disease. The medical advances of combination therapies – for those who can afford and adhere to them – only increase the important role of nutrition. However, even the most promising treatments have side effects, and there have been many associated with combination therapy including lipodystrophy (a type of fat redistribution syndrome), and an increased risk of developing chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. In cases where new treatments prolong the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS, long-term survivors will benefit substantially from proper nutrition. There are many people living with HIV/AIDS for whom combination therapy has failed. Moreover, the majority of HIV-positive people live in developing countries, where 90% of the AIDS cases occur, and they will not have access to combination therapy in the near future. Consequently, life-sustaining food and safe clean fluids may be the most realistic and cost-effective approaches to manage HIV disease.
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