Human Nutrition

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Browsing Human Nutrition by Subject "AIDS (Disease) -- Nutritional aspects"

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    Effects of a micronutrient, glutamine, pre- and probiotic enriched liquid supplement on nutritional status and immunity of adults with HIV/AIDS : a pilot study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003) Kennedy, Roy Donovan; Labadarios, D.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Human Nutrition.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a new micronutrient, glutamine, pre- and probiotic enriched liquid nutritional supplement on the nutritional status and immunity of adults living with HIV/AIDS. The study was designed as a prospective randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Subjects were HIV-infected male and female adult volunteers (n = 47) from a community-based hospice centre in a peri-urban area in a resource-poor setting and were included irrespective of duration or clinical stage of HIV/AIDS. None of the subjects received antiretroviral therapy. METHOD: The intervention involved the daily ingestion of 40g (200 ml reconstituted) of either the enriched test product or an lsocalorie carbohydrate placebo for a period of 12 weeks. Anthropometric assessment (weight, height and triceps skinfold thickness; mid-upper arm, waist and hip circumferences) was performed at baseline and thereafter every 4 weeks (4 times). Biochemical (serum total protein, serum albumin and C-reactive protein) and haematological (full blood count and immunophenotyping) assessment was performed at baseline and again after week 12. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of baseline values was performed with Wilcoxon two-sample tests for comparison between the supplemented and placebo groups. Outcomes were evaluated using analysis of variance with Shapiro-Wilk tests and thereafter either pair-wise t-tests or sign tests (for nonparametric data) were used. Thirty-two subjects completed the trial, 14 in the supplemented group and 18 in the placebo group. Weight increased significantly in the supplemented group (2.73 ± 3.53 kg, P = 0.013). Triceps skinfold thickness increased significantly in both the supplemented (p = 0.047) and placebo group (p = 0.001). No other significant anthropometric change was observed. Serum albumin increased significantly in the supplemented group (p = 0.003) and was associated with a significant decline in C-reactive protein (p = 0.028). Haemoglobin decreased significantly in both groups. A significant decline in CD4+ count was observed in the placebo group while the decline in the supplemented group did not reach significance. CONCLUSION: Oral nutritional supplementation in limited quantities was well tolerated for a period of 3 months. This study demonstrated that an enriched nutritional supplement was able to promote weight gain and ameliorate hypoalbuminaemia and possibly inflammation in adults living with HIV/AIDS in the short to medium term. The enriched nutritional supplement does not appear to have an effect on the immunity of people with HIV/AIDS. The small sample is a limitation of the study and the conclusions pertain to the test product as a whole and not to any of its respective ingredients. Although further studies are required to evaluate long-term feasibility, these findings suggest that the use of an enriched nutritional supplement has a role in the management of weight loss in persons with HIV/AIDS.