Low plasma zinc levels and immunological responses to zinc supplementation in HIV-infected patients with immunological discordance after antiretroviral therapy.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, published as a randomized controlled trial.

A two-phase pilot study including a cross-sectional study to determine plasma zinc levels and a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine immunological responses after zinc supplementation was conducted in HIV-infected patients with immunological discordance in a medical school hospital.

Why It Was Studied

Zinc is an essential micronutrient for immune function.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 31 patients were involved.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, placebo-controlled and pilot.

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc could be set against what happens without it.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study would be practical.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including CD4 Lymphocyte Count, Cross-Sectional Studies, HIV Infections, Pilot Projects and Zinc.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, placebo-controlled and pilot study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 31 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2013 (Japanese journal of infectious diseases), a journal based in Japan.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.