ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

The current research on the function of micronutrients in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is reviewed in this article. Nutritional deficiencies are prevalent in HIV-positive people. They develop as a result of malabsorption, abnormal metabolic, gut infections, and a weakened gut barrier. In HIV infection, there is a strong link between micronutrient shortages and immunological insufficiency, fast disease progression, and death. In addition, a vitamin A deficit increases the chance of vertical HIV transmission from mother to child, and a vitamin B12 deficiency increases the risk of neurological disability. Micronutrient research has been exciting in the past five years, and there is hope that certain micronutrients may be important contributors in preserving health and decreasing death in HIV immunodeficiency. Selenium seems to have a role in lowering HIV virulence and delaying disease progression. Vitamin A supplementation may decrease maternal mortality and enhance birth outcomes in HIV-positive pregnant women. Supplementation in HIV-positive youngsters may help them develop faster. Supplementing with carotenoids is being studied. Vitamin B12 may help to halt the development of HIV immune deficiency illness and restore neurological damage. In the context of a preexisting deficit, the clinical effect of supplementing with certain minerals may be detectable. Apart from better overall diet, the effect of micronutrient supplements on health and the best way to utilize them in HIV infection is debatable due to the scarcity of controlled clinical studies. More study is required to better understand the function of micronutrient deficiencies in the progression of HIV infection, as well as the preventative and therapeutic significance of supplementing in HIV treatment. Nonetheless, recent evidence supports the use of regular multivitamin and mineral content supplements as a relatively low-cost adjunct to standard antiretroviral medication therapy.