Nutritional Supplements Before ART Eligibility Delay CD4-Cell Decline

Given the rapid depletion of gut-associated CD4 cells following HIV infection, supplements that support gut integrity and immune function could have a beneficial effect on the health status of HIV-infected individuals. In a recent manufacturer-sponsored, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial, researchers assessed whether the nutritional supplement NR100157 provides systemic immunological benefits in such patients.

A total of 340 antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive HIV-infected adults in Italy, the Netherlands, the U.K., Thailand, Brazil, Argentina, the U.S., and Australia were randomized to receive either the nutritional supplement or an isocaloric and isonitrogenous control product. At 52 weeks, the mean CD4-count decline from baseline …