Selenium as adjunct HIV therapy?

Selenium supplements may slow the progress of HIV, according to interim results of a National Institutes of Health study. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, daily doses of selenium substantially increased serum levels of the metal and prevented increases in HIV viral load, found Barry Hurwitz, Ph.D., of the University of Miami. Compared with those who taking a placebo, volunteers who got selenium also saw their CD4 cell count increase as an indirect result of good viral control, Dr. Hurwitz and colleagues reported in the Jan. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. "Given the challenges of using conventional pharmacotherapy to achieve and maintain virologic suppression," the researchers concluded, "our results support the use of selenium as a simple, inexpensive and safe adjunct therapy." One thing that isn't clear is how long the effect will last. Dr. Hurwitz and colleagues reported data from half way through the 18-month trial and said that the complete study will yield a better understanding of the duration of the effect.

Steve - we blogged about selenium in Feb 2006 and its relation to preventing bird flu. Here is a snipit: "there are important nutrients, especially the mineral selenium, which determine the immune response of organisms to invading microbes and viral particles. Selenium has been identified as one of the factors in AIDS etiology by geo-epidemiologist Harold Foster. The mineral, or rather a lack of it, is also implicated in the appearance of avian influenza. Selenium supplementation for fowl is recommended where the feed grains themselves do not contain a sufficient amount of this important mineral."

http://nutritionalconcepts.blogspot.com/2006/02/interesting-option-for-bird-flu.html