HIV Patients : Balanced Diet Needed

by Brenda yofeh, Cameroon Tribune, September 30, 2005

HIV patients say their nutritional intake is vital to their health but the means at their disposal are limited.

Nutrition plays an important role for the human system to remain healthy. Good nutrition is therefore indispensable to the health of each individual.

Given that malnutrition weakens the body system, giving way for the HIV infection to propagates , it is necessary for HIV patients to receive a balanced diet. However, most HIV patients say they cannot provide the necessary diet required to maintain their depreciating health system.

Medically, it is noted that multiple nutritional abnormalities occur relatively early in the course of the HIV infection. Infected persons tend to have elevated protein and energy requirements; making it more likely for HIV patients to experience weight loss if early nutrition intervention is not available. Medical analysis indicates that such patients experience multi-system complications due to changes which result from the nutritional status and intake.

According to Catherine Djite, a dietician at the Yaounde Teaching Hospital, a healthy and balanced diet is essential for every human beings especially those living with HIV. This is so because good nutrition increases resistance to infection and disease, improves energy and makes a person feel generally stronger and more productive.

While good nutrition is important for everyone, Catherine Djite stress that it is more important for HIV patients because nutrition and HIV are strongly related to each other especially as the immune systems of HIV persons are weaker.

Noting that an HIV patient needs a special nutritional intake since he is at a risk of malnutrition, the dietician stressed the intake of all nutrients such as meals containing protein, carbohydrate, minerals, fat, energy, etc have to be doubled. Conversely, HIV patients say they can hardly provide the daily intake of the vital nutrients due to the lack of money.

In a chat with an HIV patient, she stressed that a balanced diet is important in the daily life of any HIV person. "When I do not take a balance quantity of all the necessary body nutrients needed, I feel more sick", the patient said. The patient noted that when she does not take fruits and vegetable, she feels very tired. In addition, when she consumes too much of red meat, she has digestion problem.

However, when the patient eats vegetable prepared in any manner, coupled with a glass of milk taken before bedtime, she feels very ok. Fruits, fish and chicken pose no problem to her. She concluded that an HIV patient who does not eat well has another problem besides the fact that he is HIV infected.

While other HIV patients know what to eat and are able to get what to eat, there are others who do not have money to eat what is necessary for their health. While there are those who do not even know the necessary nutrients they need. Thus, Catherine Djite says that the nutritional intake for HIV patients should be a priority.

Source: Health Gap eForum