Malnutrition and HIV

Advances in HIV treatment
HIV is treated with a combination of antiretroviral drugs or ARVs. Although scientists are working to develop a vaccine there is none available at present, and so to remain well a person with the disease needs to take their ARVs every day.Donor organisations have made controlling HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa a priority. The US President’s Emergency Plans for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is one of the best-known global programmes to tackle HIV. PEPFAR is currently supporting 11.5 million people to access antiretroviral drugs. The programme has saved many lives and prevented millions more HIV infections.Through programmes such as PEPFAR we have also learned important new ways of preventing infection. For example, by treating mothers in pregnancy we can reduce mother to child transmission of HIV to about 1%. There is also compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexual transmission of HIV infection in men by approximately 60%. So theoretically, we have the tools and political will, if not to cure the disease, to at least control the HIV pandemic and make HIV a chronic and treatable disease rather than a death sentence.Why then does HIV remain such a devastating disease in the global south?
To understand this better, let’s look at what life is like for two people living with HIV: one in Europe and one in Sub-Saharan Africa.Robert is 42 years old and is a homosexual teacher living in Dublin. He was diagnosed as part of a routine sexual health check and started on treatment before he had any symptoms. His HIV is well controlled; his immune system works normally to fight infections, and he uses condoms to prevent infecting others. He has a chronic but manageable disease. His main concern is the side-effects of his medication which have caused his cholesterol to rise and some weight gain, he also has mild diabetes. His life expectancy has increased by about 10–15 years since the drugs were introduced in the mid 1990s. His current partner is in his 60s and also has the disease. | ![]() |
Sarah is 40 years old and lives in rural Uganda. She is the mother of 3 boys and was infected by her husband. After he died, she developed symptoms of infection and weight loss; she couldn’t continue working to pay school fees or buy food. A local community health worker advised her to get tested. In the beginning, she needed treatment for TB as well as HIV but she is starting to recover and is regaining her strength slowly. She had to move away from the area she was living in to be nearer her family. She needs to return to work soon; she is managing on food handouts from family and the clinic to buy necessities. The life expectancy of a women like Sarah living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa has also increased but by only by about 7–10 years since the introduction of ARVs. | ![]() |
HIV and malnutrition
HIV and malnutrition are linked in many ways including:- Poverty
- Food insecurity
- Physiologically and immunologically
The NOURISH project
There are many reports on HIV and on the problem of nutrition, but actually very few studies that look at how all these factors interact together, which would help us understand contributors to the success or failure of healthcare programmes. The NOURISH project is a collaboration between researchers in Ireland and Uganda, and aims to do just that. NOURISH researchers sought to understand more about the links between nutrition and health, particularly in the case of people living with HIV. As mentioned above, malnutrition can complicate the treatment of HIV. Patients who are severely malnourished will not be able to adequately process ARV drugs.A supplement called Plumpy’nut is given to these patients as they start treatment with ARVs. This is to improve their nutritional status and help them benefit from the drugs. Plumpy’nut is a bit like peanut butter.

What is a sustainable solution for people living with HIV, malnutrition, and poverty?
Policymakers must decide how best to spend a country’s available budget to help those dealing with multiple health challenges. It’s important that these decisions are based on the best evidence about whether an intervention works for everyone or does not. This is where researchers can help. Since food security and malnutrition are major challenges to achieving SDG 3, we need to think about interventions to assist people living with poverty, malnutrition, and HIV that are more cost-effective and sustainable.While Plumpy’nut can be beneficial, it is relatively expensive. NOURISH researchers were interested in finding a more cost-effective way of improving nutrition for women living with HIV. Researchers developed a homemade and nutritious food recipe, and used local ingredients to tailor this food product to each of the four regions in Uganda. The researchers then tested the impact of an information campaign, demonstration of the recipe, and female empowerment intervention, to see if these attempts could improve the health and well-being of women attending HIV clinics across Uganda.During Week 4 you will learn more about what they found.- Thinking about Robert in Ireland and Sarah in Uganda, what challenges do they face in their treatment and management of HIV?
- Are they similar or different?
- Why/why not?
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