Comphensive Guide to Accessory Nutrients and Essential Oils by Dr. James Meschino - HTML preview

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1. HIV Infection and AIDS

Studies reveal that individuals infected with HIV have compromised antioxidant status.2,3 Certain antioxidants, such

as glutathione, prevent viral replication while reactive oxidants tend to stimulate the virus.3

Moreover, a decline in glutathione status may be a biomarker signalling a more rapid progression of HIV to full

blown AIDS.4 There is evidence that supplementing HIV patients with N-Acetylcysteine can significantly increase

the synthesis of glutathione and slow the progression of the disease.5, 16

Studies have shown that intracellular concentrations of glutathione are correlated with the absolute CD4 (T-helper

cells) lymphocyte counts. A single dose of N-Acetylcysteine has been shown to increase the concentration of

cysteine in the plasma and mononuclear cells of HIV-infected patients.6

N-Acetylcysteine supplementation in these patients has been shown to cause approximately a 2-fold inhibition of

HIV reverse transcriptase activity and had a synergistic effect when tested simultaneously with vitamin C.7

As glutathione is the main intracellular defence against oxidative stress, and is decreased in the plasma, lung fluid,

and T-lymphocytes in individuals with AIDS, N-acetylcysteine, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium are important

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Meschino Health Comprehensive Guide to Accessory Nutrients and Essential Oils

Accessory Nutrients and Essential Oils

considerations for these patients because they help to replenish glutathione, when taken as supplements.2 NAC

supplementation has been shown to significantly increase glutathione in HIV patients and improve survival in a 2 to

3 year follow-up trial.9