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Nonvitamin, Nonmineral Dietary Supplementation in HIV-Positive People

Mara R. Sansevero, MS, RD, LDN, CDE^*,, Robert Houser, Grace Phelan, Christine Wanke, Alice Tang and Kristy Hendricks^,,

^* Cambridge Health Alliance at Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Tufts New England Medical Center, Frances Stern Nutrition Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts; and the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Correspondence: Mara R Sansevero, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, Cambridge Health Alliance-TCH-PCU, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139. Electronic mail may be sent to MRSansevero{at}hotmail.com.

Background: Many consumers with chronic diseases attempt to take control of their health by using dietary supplements. The objective of this study was to describe current nonvitamin, nonmineral (NVNM) supplement use of HIV-infected persons in the Nutrition for Healthy Living (NFHL) cohort, the financial burden that buying these supplements might pose to this population, and to review current literature on potential interactions between NVNM supplements. Methods: At baseline visit, participants were educated by a registered dietitian on keeping a complete 3-day food record (including all supplements) for 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day. Seventy-two subjects reported consumption of NVNM supplements, and their food records were reviewed in detail. Results: Each of the 72 subjects in this study used a mean of 6 NVNM supplements, which may have been in the form of a pill, powder, bar, or liquid. The 6 most common were glutamine (51%), N-acetyl-cysteine (36%), fish oil (33%), -lipoic acid (32%), acetyl-L-carnitine (28%), and coenzyme Q10 (28%). Participants were also taking an average of 4 vitamin/mineral supplements; the 6 most common were multivitamin/multimineral (83%), vitamin E (51%), vitamin C (47%), vitamin B complex (43%), calcium (29%), and selenium (28%). Conclusions: With a total of 107 different types of NVNM supplements, our estimated cost examples indicated a weekly supplement regimen cost of between $25 and $40 dollars. According to literature review, taking an NVNM supplement may involve some risk because many components have not been studied and these products are not tightly regulated.

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