Antiretroviral Therapy and Nutrition
technical guidance1
Access to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) is increasing among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in developing countries, as a result of local, national, and international efforts. Issues related to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource limited settings have become increasingly relevant to PLWHA, caregivers, service providers, and programmers. Drafted by the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA), a technical note now provides information and guidance on the food and nutrition implications of ART and how to manage these in resource limited settings.
Managing the interactions between ART and food and nutrition is a critical factor in the extent to which the therapy is effective in slowing the progression of HIV/AIDS and improving the quality of life of PLWHA. In resource limited settings, many PLWHA lack access to sufficient quantities of nutritious foods, which poses additional challenges to the success of ART. Programmes working with people taking ART may need to strengthen human capacity to address nutritional issues, establish linkages to programmes addressing food and nutrition issues, and incorporate information about drugfood interactions into communication materials, staff training and orientation, and supervision systems.
This technical note summarises the types of ARVs commonly used, offers a framework for understanding drug-food interactions, describes key issues and steps for managing ARV-food interactions, identifies areas of knowledge gaps, and lays out the specific food and nutrition implications of ARVs commonly used in resource limited settings.
While the document focuses on ART, it notes that individuals infected with HIV have special nutritional needs, irrespective of whether they use ART. Furthermore, although access to ART in developing countries is increasing, the majority of PLWHA still do not have access to ART.
The document is available online at www.fantaproject.org or email: fanta@aed.org
1Food and Nutrition Implications of Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource Limited Settings - DRAFT, Tony Castleman, Eleonore Seumo and Bruce Cogill, FANTA, June 2003
More like this
FEX: Local Resources for Supporting PLWHA
A series of publications have recently been developed to support those working with PLWHA, produced by the Regional Centre for Quality of Health Care (RCQHC), Kampala, Uganda....
FEX: Cotrimoxazole as a Prophylaxis for HIV Positive Malnourished Children
Summary of review1 By Susan Thurstans, AAH Susan Thurstans is the HIV adviser with Action Against Hunger (AAH), based in Malawi Thanks to Amador Gomez, Technical Advisor,...
FEX: Examining the integration of Food by Prescription into HIV care and treatment in Zambia
By Kate A. Greenaway, Elizabeth C. Jere, Milika E. Zimba, Cassim Masi and Beatrice Mazinza Kawana Kate Greenaway is Senior Technical Advisor, HIV Unit, Catholic Relief...
FEX: References for Special Supplement 2
Livelihood activities in South Sudan 1. World Health Organisation (WHO), Management of Severe Malnutrition: A manual for physicians and other senior health workers. Geneva:...
FEX: Early stages of a ‘Food by Prescription’ programme for HIV infected adults
By Elizabeth Bontrager and Kate Sadler Elizabeth Bontrager joined the Feinstein International Centre at Tufts University in 2008, where she coordinates Tufts' involvement in...
FEX: Better Practice in Targeted Food Assistance
Summary of published report1 C-Safe, a consortium of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the southern Africa food security emergency, has recently completed its second...
FEX: Review of evidence of role of nutrition in HIV infection
Summary of published research1 A HIV infected mother and HIV infected child receive a voucher that entitles her to a month's supply of CSB and household food items In 2007...
FEX: South Africa HIV/AIDS Pandemic
By Mary Corbett Mary Corbett is a food security and nutrition consultant who visited the region on behalf of ENN in early 2005. This viewpoint is based on a series of...
FEX: Fact Sheets on ARV Treatment for NGO/CBO Staff
The International HIV/AIDS Alliance is developing a set of fact sheets and participatory tools to support community engagement for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. The materials...
FEX: Support for PLWHAs in Malawi
By Mary Corbett Mary Corbett is a food security and nutrition consultant who visited the region on behalf of ENN in early 2005. This article is based on interviews with a...
FEX: Nutritional Support Through HBC in Malawi
By Mieke Moens, MSF Mieke Moens is a paediatric nurse, and is responsible for the PMTCT and nutrition programme for MSF Thyolo, Malawi The author would like to acknowledge...
FEX: RUTF use in adults in Kenya
Summary of meeting abstract1 A man enrolled in the RUTF acceptability programme Those who were sicker found it more difficult to eat RUTF and tended to mix it with other...
FEX: CSB versus fortified spread in wasted HIV infected adults in Malawi
Summary of published research1 Eating ready-to-use fortified spread in Malawi The prevalence of wasting, defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) <18.5, in adults with advanced...
FEX: Integrating CTC and HIV/AIDS Support in Malawi
By Saul Guerrero, Paluku Bahwere, Kate Sadler, and Steve Collins, Valid International Saul Guerrero is a Social and Community Development Advisor. Dr. Paluku Bahwere (PhD) is...
FEX: ENN in the Field - Editorial by Mary Corbett
Editorial Mary Corbett is a food security and nutrition consultant who visited southern Africa on behalf of ENN in early 2005. When approached to be part of a team to collect...
FEX: WFP HIV/AIDS Programming in Malawi
By Jeremy Shoham, ENN Households headed by the elderly may be vulnerable This article was written based on a WFP consultation to Malawi in February 2005. The WFP Malawi...
FEX: Managing severe acute malnutrition in high HIV prevalence areas
Summary of research1 An inpatient facility in Malawi The challenges of managing severely malnourished HIVinfected children in areas of high HIV prevalence are examined in a...
FEX: REEP experiences in Western Kenya
By Mary Corbett, based on an interview with Mary Makopkha, REEP A communications graduate from Dayster University in Kenya, Mary Makopkha originally worked as a freelance...
en-net: Technical Advisor, Social and Behavior Change Communications, FANTA III Project
FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts...
FEX: Role of intestinal dysfunction in the nutritional compromise seen in human immunodeficiency virus-infected adults in rural India
Research snapshot1 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression is often marked by enteropathy, which contributes to malabsorption of macro- and micro-nutrients and...
Reference this page
Antiretroviral Therapy and Nutrition. Field Exchange 20, November 2003. p12. www.ennonline.net/fex/20/therapy
(ENN_3762)