Selenium Supplements Add Punch to HIV Fight

Jan. 23, 2007 — -- HIV patients now have a surprising and simple way to help keep their infection under control: daily doses of a mineral called selenium.

Daily selenium supplements seem to "tame" the HIV virus and strengthen the immune system, according to research published in today's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The supplement isn't a substitute for antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications, though. It should be taken in addition to standard therapies.

"Selenium alone cannot lower virus enough to improve health and cannot be substituted for the proven effects of ART," said David Pauza, a professor and assistant director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute in Baltimore.

Patients should consider using selenium as an additional part of their normal treatment regimen, said study principle investigator Barry Hurwitz, a professor of psychology and medicine at the University of Miami in Florida.

Researchers from the University of Miami conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of selenium supplements in 262 patients with HIV. Patients were randomly divided into two groups to take either a daily capsule containing 200 micrograms of high-selenium yeast or a daily sugar pill.

Nine months later, each patient underwent a comprehensive physical exam, and researchers realized that the selenium pills had made a real difference in the health of the HIV patients who had taken them.

Patients taking daily selenium supplements had lower levels of the virus in their bloodstream and increased immune cell counts compared to patients who took a placebo pill.

"Selenium is a lot like a lion tamer in the circus -- it's a virus tamer," Hurwitz said.

Scientists aren't sure how selenium works to tame the virus. One theory is that selenium's antioxidant powers enable it to repair damage to the immune system. A stronger immune system is better able to fight off viruses like HIV.