Amelia Jones Please enter the email address. Separate multiple addresses with a comma. diet will almost certainly meet all your vitamin and mineral needs, but many people, including those with HIV, choose to take a multivitamin or other vitamin and mineral supplements. because they hope a supplement will strengthen their immune system or if they feel they may not be getting all their required nutrients from their diet. mineral deficiencies are seen in people with HIV who are unwell and have weak immune systems. Many doctors believe that this is a consequence of being ill. Some research has shown that taking nutritional supplements can slow HIV disease progression. However, other research failed to find any benefit." take any vitamin, mineral or herbal supplement, talk to your HIV doctor or specialist HIV pharmacist first." people with HIV have low levels of vitamin D, and this has been associated with an increased risk of some health problems such as osteoporosis.
You get most of your vitamin D from sunlight on your skin but it is also found in food. dietitian can advise you on dietary sources of vitamin D. pregnant, you will have slightly different nutritional needs and it is recommended that you take folic acid and vitamin D supplements. discussed with your healthcare team. High doses of vitamins and minerals There is limited evidence that taking vitamin and mineral supplements have any benefit. Large (or ‘mega’) doses of some can cause very unpleasant side-effects and can even be dangerous. 0.7mg for men or 0.6mg for women may be harmful. Large amounts can cause liver and bone damage,Doses of more than 1.5mg may increase the risk of osteoporosis. are pregnant, or thinking about becoming pregnant, you should talk to your doctor before taking vitamin A as large doses can harm an unborn child, levels of the vitamin have been associated with increased viral load inVitamin B3: Higher doses taken for a long time may lead to liver damage.
The maximum daily doses of vitamin B3 (niacin) are 17mg (nicotinic acid supplements) or 500mg (nicotinamide supplements).Vitamin B6: Taking a dose of more than 200mg a day can cause nerveVitamin C: Doses above 1000mg per day can cause diarrhoea and stomach pain and could lead to kidney stones. Special care is needed if you are taking the protease inhibitors indinavir (Crixivan) or atazanavir (Reyataz) which can also cause kidneyVitamin E: Higher doses may interfere withSpecial care is needed if you are taking anticoagulants or if you have haemophilia. Taking 540mg or less in unlikely to cause problems. Magnesium: Doses of 400mg a day can cause diarrhoea.Potassium: Doses above 3700mg a day could be harmful. doses have been linked with copper deficiency, changes in cholesterol, a shortage of immune system cells called neutrophils,The maximum recommended daily dose as a supplement is 25mg a day. can find out more about the recommended daily levels of vitamins and
the NHS Choices website. remedies are also widely used to supplement diets. remedies can interact with HIV treatment, meaning that the amount of the HIV drug that gets into the blood is too low to effectively fight the virus. can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant HIV. use of herbal supplements is not studied as extensively as the use of prescription medications, it is likely that not all the potential interactions are most concerning interactions seen so far are: potato: This herb is widely used in Africa by people with HIV, but test tube studies have shown that the body uses the same mechanism to process it as it does for HIV drugs, meaning that not enough anti-HIV drug may getThe herb affects protease inhibitors and of garlic have been shown to stop the body processing protease inhibitors properly, lowering blood concentrations of the anti-HIV drug. is very concerning as garlic is often taken by people with high levels of
fat in their blood, and high blood fats can be a side-effect of anti-HIVHowever, garlic taken in food does not have this effect. John’s wort: This popular herbal antidepressant has been shown to lower blood levels of indinavir (Crixivan) and it may affect blood levels of all protease inhibitors, NNRTIs and maraviroc (Celsentri) so should not be used when taking these anti-HIV drugs. A herb which is used in Africa for the treatment of people with HIV has been shown by laboratory studies to interact with protease inhibitors and also be interactions between anti-HIV drugs and borage oil, DHEA, gingko biloba, liquorice, milk thistle and valerian. Help and advice Before you specialist HIV pharmacist first. They will be able to tell you if there is a risk of an interaction with anti-HIV drugs. A dietitian can analyse your diet and advise you on how to optimise your nutritional intake so you can meet your vitamin and mineral requirements through both foods and supplements.
remember, vitamins, minerals and herbals supplements can have side-effects, just like prescription medicines and you should never take more than the recommended dose. Find out more Nutrition Information bookletEight ways to look after your health Basic leaflet with picturesVitamin D, a crucial nutrient for strong bones, is more likely to be lacking in people who take oral corticosteroids. A study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in New York City, found that those on steroids have a vitamin D deficiency twice as often as people who don’t take one of these medications. Because those with arthritis are often prescribed oral steroids, it is very important to ensure that your vitamin D levels are regularly checked if you’re on these drugs. “Vitamin D can help regulate the immune system, ward off sickness and disease and if you’re taking medication that lowers immune system defenses it can help you from getting sick as often,” says nutritionist Karen Langston, a spokesperson for the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.
“Vitamin D maintains blood calcium levels and it regulates calcium and phosphorus, which keep bones and teeth hard. Studies have found that women with the highest levels of vitamin D are 30 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than women with lowest level of vitamin D.” What does vitamin D deficiency cause? “The biggest concern is osteomalacia, or the softening of the bones,” says Langston. “In children, it’s called rickets. It also can cause brittle bones, weak muscles. Other symptoms are fractures of the hip and pelvis, bone pain and tenderness, tooth decay and hearing loss because the bones in the ear become soft.” Langston says you may have a vitamin D deficiency if you feel pain when you press on your breastbone also called the sternum, located in the middle of your chest. If tests show your body needs additional vitamin D, Langston recommends these painless ways to help get you back in balance: 1) Expose yourself – or even just your hands – to sunlight without sunscreen for just 10 to 15 minutes every other day.
Although the amount of sunlight required has been debated, the sun activates vitamin D production in your body. So if you stand in the sunlight, sit on a bench or take a quick stroll, you’ve turned on your vitamin D switch. Keep in mind that if you have darker skin, you need more sunlight to spark vitamin D production because darker skin doesn’t absorb sunlight as well as lighter skin. 2) Open a window. If you can’t get outside, sit by an open window or door for a few minutes, because most windows block the part of the sunlight needed to ignite vitamin D production.Many types of fish are a good source of vitamin D. Three ounces of wild salmon or Atlantic mackerel can give you the recommended daily amount of vitamin D.Raw fish has more vitamin D than its cooked counterparts, so Langston recommends sushi that contains Atlantic herring, mackerel and salmon.Remember when cod liver oil was in every medicine cabinet? Well it contains lots of vitamin D and it’s new and improved with mint and fruity flavors.