Adequate zinc levels

[Guest guest]

mirakulu2003

Fri Nov 25, 2005 2:29pm

Adequate zinc levels

 

 

Adequate zinc levels are essential for growth and immunity

Zinc supplements are a safe and effective way to reduce illness in

children with HIV, US researchers say.

 

Evidence shows that they cut the chance of diarrhoea and pneumonia

without any risk of worsening the HIV infection, according to a report

in The Lancet.

 

Questions had been raised over the use of zinc because HIV thrives on

zinc for its structure and to help it penetrate immune cells and

reproduce. Zinc also activates the body cells that are targeted by HIV

- T lymphocytes.

 

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Zinc supplementation could be a simple and cost-effective intervention

to reduce morbidity and mortality in children with HIV-1 infection

Lead researcher Dr William Moss

 

But the work by Dr William Moss and colleagues at Johns Hopkins School

of Public Health, in Baltimore, suggests any safety fears are unfounded.

 

They recruited 96 children, aged between 6 months and five years, from

Grey's Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and randomly

assigned the children to receive zinc supplements or a dummy drug each

day for six months.

 

The zinc supplements did not result in an increase in blood HIV viral

load - a measure of HIV severity - but the children receiving zinc did

have less diarrhoea.

 

Saving lives

 

Dr Moss said: " Few interventions are available to reduce morbidity in

children with HIV-1 infection in resource-poor countries.

 

Although UNAIDS, the World Health Organisation and their partners are

committed to providing antiretroviral therapy to 3 million people by

the end of 2005, he said many children still did not have access to

this treatment or drugs to prevent opportunistic infections.

 

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Further studies would be desirable before any decision was made to

recommend zinc supplementation as standard practice

A spokeswoman from the HIV charity AVERT

 

" Consequently, more than half these children die before the age of

three years, most commonly of respiratory tract infections and

diarrhoeal diseases.

 

" Zinc supplementation could be a simple and cost-effective

intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality in children with HIV-1

infection. "

 

A spokeswoman from the HIV/Aids charity AVERT said: " The findings of

this trial are certainly encouraging, as diarrhoea can be a life

threatening illness in HIV positive children.

 

" However, further studies in both zinc-deficient and non

zinc-deficient children would be desirable before any decision was

made to recommend zinc supplementation as standard practice.

 

" There is now an internationally agreed commitment to increase

antiretroviral treatment access for children, and while this study is

interesting, we must be careful not to allow its findings to shift

attention away from this aim of supplying universal access to

antiretroviral therapy for all children who need it. "

 

People with a healthy, balanced diet should not normally be deficient

in zinc.

 

Foods rich in zinc include fish, meat, cheese, some nuts and seeds and

brown rice.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4463920.stm