Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Twelve months of Vitamin D supplementation significantly increased vitamin D and immune cell blood levels in HIV infected participants.

Though originally discovered as the cure for rickets in the early 20th century (1), vitamin D also has a significant effect on immune system function. It helps strengthen the immune system and maintain healthy levels of inflammation (2, 3) by increasing levels of immune system cells called CD4+ cells (4, 5) and decreasing “RNA viral load”, measure of the severity of an infection (6, 7).

Now a new study (8) suggests that high-dose vitamin D may improve immune system strength in those infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The study involved 58 subjects (39 men, 19 women) aged 16 to 24 who were infected with HIV and on a treatment regimen called “highly active antiretroviral therapy”. They were given 7,000 International Units of vitamin D per day or placebo for 12 months. Blood samples were taken throughout the study.

After 12 months of vitamin D supplementation, the researchers observed the following results:

What was MeasuredVitamin D GroupPlacebo Groupp-value
Vitamin D Blood Levels56% Increase
(18.2 to 28.4 nanograms/mL)
No change
(17.0 to 16.9 ng/mL)
p < 0.001
CD4 Cells7.4% Increase (30.8 to 33.1%)7% Decrease (32.9 to 30.6%p < 0.10
RNA Viral Load7.5% Decrease (3.29 to 3.06 detectable log10 copies/mL)15% Increase
(3.06 to 3.53 log10 copies/mL)
p < 0.05
Naïve T-helper cells
(a type of immune system)
4.4% Increase
(45.1 to 47.1%)
2.5% Decrease
(44.0 to 42.9%)
p < 0.01

For the researchers, “daily 7,000 IU vitamin D for 12 months was safe in HIV-infected subjects and effective in increasing [vitamin D blood levels]”. And although “supplementation improved some clinically important HIV immune markers in subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy”, the researchers still concluded that “Adjunct therapy with high-dose, daily vitamin D for HIV-infected subjects and for those on/off highly active antiretroviral therapy requires further investigation.”

Source: Stallings, Virginia A., et al. “High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation in children and young adults with HIV: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.” The Pediatric infectious disease journal 34.2 (2015): e32.

Posted November 16, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. “Rickets” posted on the NIH Website
  2. von Essen MR, Kongsbak M, Schjerling P, Olgaard K, Odum N, Geisler C. Vitamin D controls T cell antigen receptor signaling and activation of human T cells. Nat Immunol. 2010;11:344-349
  3. Ansemant T, Mahy S, Piroth C et al. Severe hypovitaminosis D correlates with increased inflammatory markers in HIV infected patients. BMC Infect Dis. 2013;13:7
  4. Rutstein R, Downes A, Zemel B, Schall J, Stallings V. Vitamin D status in children and young adults with perinatally acquired HIV infection. Clin Nutr. 2011;30:624-628
  5. Haug C, Muller F, Aukrust P, Froland SS. Subnormal serum concentration of 1,25-vitamin D in human immunodeficiency virus infection: correlation with degree of immune deficiency and survival. J Infect Dis. 1994;169:889-893.
  6. Kim JH, Gandhi V, Psevdos G, Jr., Espinoza F, Park J, Sharp V. Evaluation of vitamin D levels among HIV-infected patients in New York City. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2012;28:235-241
  7. Bearden A, Abad C, Gangnon R, Sosman JM, Binkley N, Safdar N. Cross-Sectional Study of Vitamin D Levels, Immunologic and Virologic Outcomes in HIV-Infected Adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013;98:1726-1733.
  8. Stallings VA. High-Dose Vitamin D3 Supplementation in Children and Young Adults with HIV: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2014 Jul 1. [Epub ahead of print]