kiwibird
Editor, Senior Moderator
Vitamin D helps reduce HIV transmission
One study reported in the Oct 1 2009 issue of Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that taking high doses of vitamin D may help reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
The study led by Mehta S. and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts was meant to examine if vitamin D protects against adverse pregnancy outcomes, mother-to-child HIV transmission and child mortality.
Mehta et al. analyzed data from 884 HIV infected women participating in a vitamin supplementation trial in Tanzania and found evidence suggesting that vitamin D supplementation could be an inexpensive method of reducing the burden of HIV infection and death among children.
To be exact, the researchers found the maternal vitamin D status was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm birth.
But the benefits of vitamin D supplements seemed significant. Women with low maternal vitamin D defined as having 32 ng/mL were at 50 percent higher risk of spreading HIV to their children at 6 weeks compared with those who had sufficient vitamin D.
Also after 6 weeks, women with such low levels of maternal vitamin D were twice as likely as those who had sufficient vitamin D to spread HIV to their children who were not infected at 6 weeks through breastfeeding.
Overall, children born to mothers whose maternal vitamin D was low were 46 percent more likely to get infected with HIV and 61 percent more likely to die during the follow-up.
By David Liu
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite...mother-to-child_hiv_transmission_2507100.html
One study reported in the Oct 1 2009 issue of Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that taking high doses of vitamin D may help reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
The study led by Mehta S. and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts was meant to examine if vitamin D protects against adverse pregnancy outcomes, mother-to-child HIV transmission and child mortality.
Mehta et al. analyzed data from 884 HIV infected women participating in a vitamin supplementation trial in Tanzania and found evidence suggesting that vitamin D supplementation could be an inexpensive method of reducing the burden of HIV infection and death among children.
To be exact, the researchers found the maternal vitamin D status was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm birth.
But the benefits of vitamin D supplements seemed significant. Women with low maternal vitamin D defined as having 32 ng/mL were at 50 percent higher risk of spreading HIV to their children at 6 weeks compared with those who had sufficient vitamin D.
Also after 6 weeks, women with such low levels of maternal vitamin D were twice as likely as those who had sufficient vitamin D to spread HIV to their children who were not infected at 6 weeks through breastfeeding.
Overall, children born to mothers whose maternal vitamin D was low were 46 percent more likely to get infected with HIV and 61 percent more likely to die during the follow-up.
By David Liu
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite...mother-to-child_hiv_transmission_2507100.html