Selenium helps reduce the virus in the blood of HIV patients

According to a recent study by scientists at the University of Miami, USA, HIV patients can take selenium supplements - an antioxidant mineral - every day to reduce the HIV virus in the blood.

The study, published in the American Journal of Internal Medicine, said HIV patients taking 200 micrograms of selenium a day could reduce an average of 12 percent of the virus in the blood.

Selenium is a mineral found in the soil that can be absorbed by plants. Cattle and other animals can also absorb selenium when they eat grass in selenium soil.

Previous studies have shown an association between selenium deficiency and heart disease, decreased activity of the thyroid gland and weakened immune system. Other studies have found that the mineral has been shown to inhibit the replication of HIV in the laboratory and some HIV patients show lower levels of selenium.

T.VY