Zinc supplementation cut the episodes of diarrhea in half, according to researchers from Florida International University in Miami during the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

First, the details.

• 231 HIV-positive drug users with zinc deficiency received zinc supplements or a placebo for a year.
• Men received 15 mg; women received 12 mg daily.
• 62% were taking antiretroviral therapy.

And, the results.

• Zinc supplementation cut the episodes of diarrhea in half.
• The prevalence of diarrhea was 14% in the zinc-supplemented patients and 29% in placebo group.

The bottom line.
Zinc supplements produced a significant benefit even after accounting for confounding factors like highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), viral load, and CD4+ cell counts, the investigators concluded.

A similar study was presented in 2004 by these researchers. It’s not clear if this is a new study or a second report of that earlier study with a larger population.

Either way, it’s not a trivial condition. The incidence of diarrhea in patients with advanced HIV infection ranges from 30% to 70%. And low or marginally low zinc blood levels are reported in about 50% of patients, according to this review at the Support Chiro.org website.

There’s also a good review at The Body website.

8/27/08 17:59 JR