Moringa leaf to improve nutrition for HIV patients

THERE is good news on the horizon for HIV patients living with limited resources, as a new study reveals how Moringa oleifera leaf supplementation can combat malnutrition.

The study was conducted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) where researchers found that Moringa supplementation could increase the Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4) cell counts of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

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In a statement, UKZN said Ph.D. student in the Discipline of Public Health at the UKZN, Aisha Gambo, and supervisor, Professor Nceba Gqaleni evaluated the effects of the Moringa oleifera leaf supplementation on the CD4 count, viral load, and anthropometric of HIV positive adults on ART.

Gqaleni noted that people living with HIV in resource-limited settings are vulnerable to malnutrition and nutritional interventions together with antiretroviral therapy could improve treatment outcomes.

“(Moringa) is well-known, affordable and acceptable and therefore easier for people to take up. People in resource-limited settings can especially benefit as Moringa can easily be grown in any household garden,”said Gqaleni.

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He said the study consisted of 200 HIV-positive patients that were split into two equal groups where one group was given Moringa Oleifera leaf powder and the control group was given a placebo.

According to Gqaleni, the findings saw changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), and CD4 cell counts over six months.