How HIV-1 kills: Implications for the Treatment and Prevention of AIDS
Categories: AIDS & HIVAbstract:
HIV-1 is parasitic. Since it encodes for glutathione peroxidase, as it replicates, its genetic needs cause it to deprive HIV-1 seropositive individuals of selenium, cysteine, glutamine and tryptophan, the four basic components of this selenoenzyme. Eventually this process causes severe deficiencies of each of these four nutrients. These deficiencies are responsible for the major symptoms of AIDS which include immune system collapse, muscle wasting, dermatitis, diarrhea and dementia. Associated pathogenic cofactors also are responsible for a variety of unique symptoms. Any treatment for HIV/AIDS must, therefore, include normalization of body levels of selenium, cysteine, glutamine and tryptophan.
Introduction
It is hypothesized that HIV-1 kills simply by replication, because as Taylor and coworkers have established, HIV-1 encodes for glutathione peroxidase. (1) This genetic characteristic ensures that as this virus replicates it competes with its host for the four basic components of this selenoenzyme: namely selenium, cysteine, glutamine and tryptophan. (2) It follows that unless supplements are added to the diet of HIV-1 seropositive individuals, this process must eventually, inevitably culminate in extreme shortages of these four substances, each of which will be accompanied by its own deficiency symptoms. It is argued here that AIDS is the end result of this multiple depletion process and that it can be treated most effectively by reversing all four of these nutrient deficiency states.
If this hypothesis is correct, HIV/ AIDS patients will be found to be deficient in selenium, cysteine, glutamine and tryptophan. As a result, supplementation with any one of these substances will reduce some, but not all, of their disease symptoms. The remainder of this article presents evidence that this is indeed the case.
Selenium Deficiency
Several studies have shown declining plasma selenium in individuals with HIV/AIDS. (3-5) Baum and coworkers, (3) for example, monitored 125 HIV-1seropositive drug using, men and women in Miami, Florida, establishing that depressed selenium plasma levels were a more accurate predictor of their mortality than were CD4 T cell counts. Similarly, 24 HIV-infected children were monitored for 5 years, during which time 50% died of HIV-related causes. (6) The lower their serum selenium levels, the more rapidly death occurred, indicating an association with faster disease progression.