Vitamin and mineral supplements are effective against the development of AIDS, JAMA study confirms

From 2004 I support that the proper way to treat and cure diseases is with a right diet and with the use of food supplements. I am clinical Nutritionist with an emphasis in Orthomolecular nutrition. There is a war against food supplements from the medical establishment. Many medical doctors and dieticians say that vitamin and mineral supplements are unnecessary. A recent study confirms my theories and proves the medical doctors and dieticians totally wrong.
In a clinical study published in November 2013 in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), the authors from leading research institutions around the world reported that micronutrient supplementation significantly reduced the risk of immune decline and morbidity in 878 patients infected with HIV.
Moreover, the authors of the JAMA study concluded that micronutrients are important in the early stages of AIDS. The publication of this study in JAMA brings new hope to patients, doctors, health policy makers and people at large that effective, safe and affordable micronutrients can become a scientifically accepted 'weapon' in the global battle against HIV infections and AIDS (1).
A decade ago, the Dr. Rath Health Foundation (2) conducted a community-wide nutritional program in South Africa, which confirmed the efficacy of micronutrients in people with AIDS. They donated a micronutrient supplement to the South Africa National Civic Organization (SANCO), which distributed it among 748 people with AIDS. After 10-12 weeks of the the nutrient program, (3) these patients reported a significant improvement in their overall health and reductions in all AIDS-defining symptoms – including persistent fever, coughing, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, infections and a variety of other symptoms associated with AIDS – by up to 78% (4-5) .
Considering the fact that the pharmaceutical drug industry is currently making up to $600,000 over the lifetime of an AIDS patient, this breakthrough is a heavy setback for this industry. But the biggest blow for the drug industry is the loss of credibility. Through the decade long campaign to silence Dr. Rath and deny the life-saving benefits of micronutrients in the fight against the AIDS epidemic, the drug business has revealed its true face to the world: Putting profits over life. A summary of the battle Dr. Rath has led in the name of all mankind is documented at www.end-aids-business.org.

Sources:
 1. M. K. Baum, et al. JAMA; 2013;310(20):2154-2163. doi:10.1001/ja-ma.2013.280923
[http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1785464]
2.  http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/research_news/articles/20140206_Micronutrients_Help_Prevent_AIDS.html
3.  http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/nat_vit/PDF-Files/community_health_program.pdf
 4. R.J. Jariwalla, A. Niedzwiecki, M. Rath; Commonwealth Ministers Book, 2007, pg.187-189
[www.drrathresearch.org/attachments/259_role_of_micronutrients_in_the_control_of_hiv_and_aids.pdf]
5. R. J. Jariwalla, A. Niedzwiecki, M. Rath; Recent Translational Research in HIV/AIDS, ed. Y-W Tang, INTECH 2011; pg. 513-52
[www.drrathresearch.org/pub/pdf/hsns1405.pdf]


I represent the abstract of the study from JAMA:

Effect of Micronutrient Supplementation on Disease Progression in Asymptomatic, Antiretroviral-Naive, HIV-Infected Adults in BotswanaA Randomized Clinical Trial

Marianna K. Baum, PhD¹; Adriana Campa, PhD¹; Shenghan Lai, MD, MPH⁵; Sabrina Sales Martinez, MS¹; Lesedi Tsalaile, MS²; Patricia Burns, MS, MPH³; Mansour Farahani, MD, PhD³; Yinghui Li, MS¹; Erik van Widenfelt, BSc²; John Bryan Page, PhD⁴; Hermann Bussmann, MD²; Wafaie W. Fawzi, MBBS, DrPH³; Sikhulele Moyo, MPH²; Joseph Makhema, MB, ChB, MRCP²; Ibou Thior, MD²; Myron Essex, DVM, PhD³; Richard Marlink, MD³  

JAMA. 2013;310(20):2154-2163. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.280923.

ABSTRACT

Importance  Micronutrient deficiencies occur early in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and supplementation with micronutrients may be beneficial; however, its effectiveness has not been investigated early in HIV disease among adults who are antiretroviral therapy (ART) naive.
Objective  To investigate whether long-term micronutrient supplementation is effective and safe in delaying disease progression when implemented early in adults infected with HIV subtype C who are ART-naive.
Design, Setting, and Participants  Randomized clinical trial of supplementation with either daily multivitamins (B vitamins and vitamins C and E), selenium alone, or multivitamins with selenium vs placebo in a factorial design for 24 months. The study was conducted in 878 patients infected with HIV subtype C with a CD4 cell count greater than 350/μL who were not receiving ART at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, between December 2004 and July 2009.
Interventions  Daily oral supplements of B vitamins and vitamins C and E, selenium alone, or multivitamins plus selenium, compared with placebo.
Main Outcomes and Measures  Reaching a CD4 cell count less than 200/μL until May 2008; after this date, reaching a CD4 cell count of 250/μL or less, consistent with the standard of care in Botswana for initiation of ART at the time of the study.
Results  There were 878 participants enrolled and randomized into the study. All participants were ART-naive throughout the study. In intent-to-treat analysis, participants receiving the combined supplement of multivitamins plus selenium had a significantly lower risk vs placebo of reaching CD4 cell count 250/μL or less (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25-0.85; P = .01; absolute event rate [AER], 4.79/100 person-years; censoring rate, 0.92; 17 events; placebo AER, 9.22/100 person-years; censoring rate, 0.85; 32 events). Multivitamins plus selenium in a single supplement, vs placebo, also reduced the risk of secondary events of combined outcomes for disease progression (CD4 cell count ≤250/μL, AIDS-defining conditions, or AIDS-related death, whichever occurred earlier [adjusted HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33-0.95; P = .03; AER, 6.48/100 person-years; censoring rate, 0.90; 23 events]). There was no effect of supplementation on HIV viral load. Multivitamins alone and selenium supplementation alone were not statistically different from placebo for any end point. Reported adverse events were adjudicated as unlikely to be related to the intervention, and there were no notable differences in incidence of HIV-related and health-related events among study groups.
Conclusions and Relevance  In ART-naive HIV-infected adults, 24-month supplementation with a single supplement containing multivitamins and selenium was safe and significantly reduced the risk of immune decline and morbidity. Micronutrient supplementation may be effective when started in the early stages of HIV disease.