tient is suffering from a chronic or long-term illness as in the HIV-AIDS development, the body will need more food than normal since the vitamins and minerals are synthesized faster in the body. A state of chronic illness would result in deficiencies of certain nutrients, which would further weaken the immune system resulting in the following:Malnutrition (insufficient intake of food and the bodies inability to utilize them)Malabsorption (the intestinal inability to absorb nutrients)Increased need for nutrients (the body uses vitamins and minerals faster than a person who is not infected) Diarrhea (this condition disrupts nutrient absorption)Nausea, loss of appetite and vomiting (this condition reduces the amount of food ingested)Metabolic changes (this condition affects how the body utilizes nutrients)Sores, ulcers in mouth and esophagus (resulting inability to eat and swallow)These deficiencies damage the production of nutrients essential for immune responses. Studies have revealed that PWAS have deficiencies of specific nutrients including total kilocalories or energy, protein, vitamins A, B6, B12, C and E plus folic acid as well as insufficiency in minerals for instance magnesium, selenium and zinc. (See Appendix 2) Richard Beach, M.D., an AIDS researcher claimed “ Most people who die of AIDS actually die of starvation”. The nutritional dilemma of PWAS, “is that they must eat abundantly- yet they must also avoid food-borne illness, juggle foods and medications, and surmount the poor appetite and indigestion caused by their medications and by AIDS itself” (Diane Woznicki and Giuliana D’ Alessandro, 1997,p.1.). In the HIV-AIDS progression patients undergo nutrient deficiencies that are directly and indirectly engaged in the maintenance of the normal immune system. In addition to nutrient deficiencies Vaghefi & Castellon-Vogel states that *“There is also evidence that the presence unabsorbed m...
