Question
What vitamins or antioxidants are recommended HIV positive people?
19 September 2014. Related: All topics, Supplements and herbs.
I’ve recently been diagnosed with HIV and am starting to make changes to my diet. I’ve read your very helpful guide to vitamins and minerals on the factsheets page but am still a little confused about exactly what vitamins to use. I’m currently taking a one-a-day multi vitamin but understand that I need a little more than that.
My next appointment isn’t for another 3 months and I wanted to start taking vitamins before then. Please help.
I’m not sure if its significant but my CD4 count is 380.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
In general, there is unlikely to be a benefit from taking a multivitamin unless you have a vitamin deficiency. In this case your doctor would recommended the vitamin. When the vitamin or supplement is for a specific use there is likely to be proven evidence of a benefit.
Some people take a multivitamin if their diet is not good, but otherwise vitamin supplements are not usually needed in you have a balanced and nutritious diet.
If you want to do this, then any of the multivitamins in most supermarkets and pharmacies would be okay – and unlikely to do any harm. One recent caution, is that if you are using an integrase inhibitor in your HIV combination, the multivitamin should be taken more than four hour apart from your HIV meds.
It is also good to tell your doctor of any supplements or complementary medicines you are taking. If you are doing this for a specific symptoms, then your doctor may have other options.
Just as with vitamins, there is little evidence to show any benefit from taking an antioxidant, unless this is for a medical reason recommended by your doctor.
There is no evidence to show that vitamins or supplement have any effect on your CD4 count or viral load. When you come to need HIV treatment, ARVs are the only proven way to reduce VL and increase CD4.
The market for vitamin and supplements is part of a multi-billion dollar operation and given the vast profits that are made, it is a concern how little evidence is available for any benefit. When careful studies have been performed the evidence of benefit is not only not found but sometimes harmful results are reported.
Also given the size of this market, there is very little regulation to know whether what it says on the label is actually reflected in the supplements themselves.
Note: This answer was updated in September 2014 from an original question in May 2010.
Please speak to your doctor. Multivitamins do not interact with Tribuss but on their own they are not likely to help with weight gain.
I am on the Tribuss for almost 4 years, despite the fact that I had too much stress the past 2 years, I am finding it hard to regain my weight.\
Recently I bought Viridian Multivitamins but I am afraid to use. are they not going to clash with the ARV’s?
Please advise.
I’m hiv positive and I do take a multi vitamin and calcium daily. My daily medication is Truvada and Tivicay. I was reading about probiotics cause I have gained some weight mainly belly fat and I was wondering if probiotics would help?
Hu Cynthia. Please talk you your doctor about weight gain. Some weight gain is normal for nearly everyone when they start HIV meds. The best advice it diet and exercise. Also, I wan’ted to check that you take your vitamins at a diffeernt time to you HIV meds. This is because some vitamins interact with Ticicay. Adivce is to leave at least four hour bewteen the two sets of pills.http://i-base.info/guides/8851
Hi Elizabeth,
Your comment is answered as a new question here.
http://i-base.info/qa/11377
Hi just find out that my 12 year old son is HIV positive I’m still scared for him to take on treatment. What do I do?
Hi,
It’s important for everyone to have a healthy balanced diet, this is especially true for people who have HIV. Being vegan should not be a problem. You can find more information on HIV and nutrition here: http://www.aidsmap.com/Nutrition/page/1060877/
Hello,
I’m 23,M. I was diagnosed on 29 Dec 2015. please guide me my diet i’m vegan.
Hi Precious
Vitamins and supplement will not treat HIV. Only HIV meds can do this.
Why do you not have confidence in your doctor?
I need something to boost my immune what can I use like vitamins or suppliment any thing because my doctor don’t know nothing about what she’s doing please help me I’m taking my meds on a public clinic thanks