Nutrition

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is important for everyone’s health. Having HIV doesn’t mean that you have to make big changes to your diet. But eating the right foods can make you feel better, have more energy, and can keep your heart and bones healthy as you get older.

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  • Study Finds No Benefit for Dietary Supplements

    An analysis of survey data gathered from more than 27,000 people over a six-year period found that individuals who reported taking dietary supplements had about the same risk of dying as those who got their nutrients through food. What’s more, the mortality benefits associated with adequate intake of vitamin A, vitamin K, magnesium, zinc, and copper were limited to food consumption.

    16 April 2019 | NIH Director's Blog

  • Weight gain with new antiretrovirals: It's complicated

    South Africa’s next big shift in our antiretroviral programme is to replace efavirenz with a newish drug called dolutegravir. The Department of Health is pleased at the prospect of a safer, more robust and, amazingly, cheaper drug. But last year, the first reports surfaced that people using it were gaining weight.

    15 April 2019 | Spotlight

  • HIV-Related Immune Activation May Predict Weight Gain and Exacerbate Complications, Especially in Women

    HIV can cause persistent immune activation that contributes to an increased risk of complications such as heart disease and certain cancers. New NIAID-supported research presented today [March 6] at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle sheds light on the relationship between immune activation and weight gain.

    11 March 2019 | HIV.gov

  • Insufficient food linked to inflammation in HIV-positive women

    Past research with HIV-negative people suggests that food insecurity is associated with heightened levels of inflammation. Now, in a recent study, scientists at 10 major clinics across the U.S. have found that food insecurity was linked to an increased risk of elevated inflammation among HIV-positive women. The link between food insecurity and inflammation was present even in women whose viral loads were suppressed due to good adherence to ART.

    29 January 2019 | CATIE

  • Increased Risk for Abdominal Obesity Found in People Living With HIV

    People living with HIV are at increased risk for abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol but not hypertension, according to a recent study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

    04 April 2018 | Infectious Disease Advisor

  • Ramadan, Fasting & HIV

    Ramadan is the name of one of the 12 lunar months of the Islamic calendar. For 29 days of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset. Many HIV-positive wish to join their community in observing this important month, can they?

    26 May 2017 | LASS

  • Food is Medicine for HIV-Positive and Type 2 Diabetes Patients

    HIV-positive people who received healthy food and snacks for six months were more likely to adhere to their medication regimens, were less depressed and less likely to make trade-offs between food and healthcare, according to a new study.

    26 January 2017 | University of California San Francisco

  • Vitamin D supplements 'advised for everyone'

    Everyone should consider taking vitamin D supplements in autumn and winter, public health advice in England and Wales says.

    25 July 2016 | BBC Health

  • Not So Fast: Do people with HIV really experience accelerated aging?

    Recent talk about HIV and aging has almost always been scary. A number of studies conclude that people living with HIV have so-called “accelerated aging”—meaning they will suffer heart attacks, strokes, cancers, and osteoporosis more often and sooner than those without HIV. Well, this is one article on aging and HIV that will challenge the concept of people living with HIV having an early expiration date. Instead, we can look at what we know and what we don’t, to get a better idea of what the risks are for HIV-positive people growing older—and what they can do about them.

    08 July 2016 | Positively Aware

  • “Can People with HIV Eat Sushi?”: Your HIV & Diet Questions Answered

    These days the top health concerns for people with HIV are the same nutrition and diet-associated health problems faced by other Americans, like becoming overweight or obese. I often worry more about the impact of fast food and soda on my patients than I do about them getting sick from something related to HIV.

    24 November 2015 | BETA blog
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This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.

NAM’s information is intended to support, rather than replace, consultation with a healthcare professional. Talk to your doctor or another member of your healthcare team for advice tailored to your situation.