Taking selenium benefits AIDS patients -US study

CHICAGO, Jan 22 (Reuters) AIDS patients who took selenium suppressed the deadly virus in their bodies and boosted their fragile immune systems, adding to evidence that the mineral has healing powers, researchers said today.

An 18-month study of 262 patients with AIDS found those who took a daily capsule containing 200 micrograms of selenium, a semi-metallic element found in some foods and soils that is a byproduct of copper production, ended up with lower levels of the AIDS virus and more health-giving CD4 immune system cells in their bloodstreams than those taking a dummy pill.

''The exact mechanism by which selenium exerts its effects on HIV-1 viral replication is not known, although the literature suggests several possibilities,'' lead author Barry Hurwitz of the University of Miami wrote in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Selenium, which is sold as a dietary supplement, is an antioxidant that can repair the damage done to immune system cells by oxygen, which is more actively produced in the bodies of AIDS patients. Another theory holds that the AIDS virus needs selenium to replicate itself and attacks more cells to find it -- so providing more selenium slows the virus' advance.

A decade ago, a co-author of the current study identified a link between selenium deficiency and shorter life spans for people infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

Over the past 40 years, selenium has been found helpful against a host of ailments including cancer, coronary disease and arthritis.

A deficiency of selenium -- which is plentiful in meats, fish, grains and Brazil nuts and is often lacking in the diets of poor populations -- has been linked to muscle disease, infertility, heart disease, thyroid problems and faster mutation of influenza viruses into more virulent forms.

Over-exposure to selenium can be highly poisonous and can cause gastrointestinal problems, hair loss and nerve damage.

Hurwitz said the results of the latest study ''support the use of selenium as a simple, inexpensive and safe adjunct therapy'' to antiretroviral therapy, the lifelong anti-AIDS drug ''cocktail'' that can be difficult to adhere to.

REUTERS MQA RN0108