A double-blind, randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of Moringa oleifera leaf powder supplementation on the immune status and anthropometric parameters of adult HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy in a resource-limited setting

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 12; p. e0261935
• Main Authors: Gambo, Aisha, Moodley, Indres, Babashani, Musa, Babalola, Tesleem K, Gqaleni, Nceba
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 31-12-2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Anthropometry; Antiretroviral agents; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiretroviral therapy; Biology and Life Sciences; Body mass; Body mass index; Body measurements; Body size; CD4 antigen; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Complications and side effects; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Double-blind studies; Drug therapy; Female; Food security; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Health sciences; Highly active antiretroviral therapy; HIV; HIV (Viruses); HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - drug effects; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immune status; Infections; Leaves; Male; Malnutrition; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Moringa oleifera; Moringa oleifera - chemistry; Mortality; Nigeria; Nursing schools; Nutrients; Oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein; Parameters; Patient outcomes; Patients; People and Places; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Powders; Prevention; Public health; R&D; Research & development; Resource-Limited Settings; Teaching hospitals; Viral Load - drug effects; Virology; Weight; Nigeria; South Africa; Durban South Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261935

People living with HIV (PLHIV) in resource-limited settings are vulnerable to malnutrition. Nutritional interventions aimed at improving food insecurity and malnutrition, together with antiretroviral therapy (ART), could improve treatment outcomes. In Nigeria, there is a high awareness of the nutraceutical benefits of Moringa oleifera. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf supplementation on the CD4 counts, viral load and anthropometric of HIV-positive adults on ART.
This was a double-blind, randomized study. Two hundred HIV-positive patients were randomly allocated to either the Moringa Oleifera group (MOG) given Moringa oleifera leaf powder or the control group (COG) given a placebo. Changes in anthropometric parameters [weight; body mass index (BMI)] and CD4 cell counts were measured monthly for six months, while HIV-1 viral loads were measured at baseline and the end of the study for both groups.
Over the study period, the treatment by time interaction shows a significant difference in CD4 counts by treatment group (p<0.0001). A further estimate of fixed effects showed that the CD4 counts among MOG were 10.33 folds greater than COG over the study period. However, the viral load (p = 0.9558) and all the anthropometric parameters (weight; p = 0.5556 and BMI; p = 0.5145) between the two groups were not significantly different over time. All tests were conducted at 95CI.
This study revealed that Moringa oleifera leaf supplementation was associated with increased CD4 cell counts of PLHIV on ART in a resource-limited setting. Programs in low-resource settings, such as Nigeria, should consider nutritional supplementation as part of a comprehensive approach to ensure optimal treatment outcomes in PLHIV.