An Introduction to Dietary Supplements for People Living With HIV/AIDS

Vitamin B₁₂

• What It Does: B vitamins (including B₁₂) regulate the body's metabolic processes, which include producing energy, regulating the heart and maintaining healthy nerve cells.
• What B₁₂ Deficiency Can Cause: diarrhea, fatigue, lack of concentration, neurological damage (in extreme cases), peripheral neuropathy, some types of anemia
• People at Higher Risk for B₁₂ Deficiency: people over 50, vegetarians, people with gastrointestinal problems
• Types of B₁₂ Supplements: B₁₂ is often found as part of a "B complex" vitamin that includes other B vitamins. It's available as a dietary supplement in pill form or as a lozenge. It's also available by prescription as a nasal spray or an injection.
• How Much Is Needed: U.S. RDA is 2.4 mcg (micrograms) for people over the age of 13 (more if you're pregnant or lactating).
• Foods in Which It's Most Commonly Found: meats (especially beef and other red meats), fish, clams, milk, cheese, eggs
• For More Information: Visit our vitamin B index page.

Zinc

• What It Does: Zinc helps to produce testosterone and preserves sexual function, both of which can often be a concern for men living with HIV.
• What Zinc Deficiency Can Cause: diarrhea, immune system damage
• People at Higher Risk for Zinc Deficiency: heavy alcohol drinkers, people with gastrointestinal or digestive problems, pregnant/lactating women, vegetarians
• Types of Zinc Supplements: Zinc supplements are generally taken in pill form, although a number of over-the-counter medications (especially cold remedies) contain zinc, as do some throat lozenges, nasal sprays and gels -- caveat: there have been some reports of people losing their sense of smell by taking zinc supplements through their nose. Also, note that the more zinc you take, the lower your body's levels of copper (which is necessary for proper immune function) tend to become. That is why zinc supplements often contain copper as well.
• How Much Is Needed: U.S. RDA is 11 mg for men over the age of 18 and 8 mg for women over the age of 18 (more if you're pregnant or lactating).
• Foods in Which It's Most Commonly Found: shellfish, meats, dairy products, some beans, nuts
• For More Information: Visit our vitamin index page.

Multivitamins: The All-in-One Solution

A daily, complete multivitamin pill can serve as a good source for many of the nutrients listed above, as well as a number of others. There are also indications that multivitamins help delay the progression of HIV disease, as found in a long-term, randomized trial that was conducted in Tanzania, Africa.

However, figuring out which multivitamin to use can be a dizzying experience. There are a large number of different multivitamin pills sold by different companies, all of which contain different dosages of a wide range of nutrients. You may be best off speaking with your doctor or nutritionist to first learn more about what nutrient deficiencies you may have; then you can compare multivitamins to see which is likely to fill your needs best. Visit our "multivitamins and HIV" index page to learn more.

Additional reporting for this article was provided by Myles Helfand.