Selenium aids AIDS

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 on Monday.

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.

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