Glutamine-antioxidant supplementation increases body cell mass in AIDS patients with weight loss: A randomized, double-blind controlled trial

Loss of body cell mass, the active functioning tissue of the body, commonly occurs in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and the extent of wasting is related to the length of survival. We evaluated th e anabolic role of the amino acid L-glutamine (GLN) and antioxidants in a d ouble-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 26 patients with >5% weight loss s ince disease onset. Subjects received GLN-antioxidants (40 gld) in divided doses or glycine (40 gld) as the placebo for 12 wk. Throughout the study, t he subjects were seen weekly by a nutritionist, and body weight, bioelectri c impedance assessment, and nutritional counseling were performed. Twenty-o ne subjects completed the study, and the groups were well matched. The 5 pa tients excluded from analysis all met a priori exclusion criteria. Over 3 m o, the GLN-antioxidant group gained 2.2 kg in body weight (3.2%), whereas t he control group gained 0.3 kg (0.4%, P = 0.04 for difference between group s). The GLN-antioxidant group gained 1.8 kg in body cell mass,whereas the c ontrol group gained 0.4 kg (P = 0.007). Intracellular water increased in th e GLN-antioxidant group but not in the control group. in conclusion, GLN-an tioxidant nutrient supplementation can increase body weight,body cell mass, and intracellular water when compared with placebo supplementation. GLN-an tioxidant supplementation provides a highly cost-effective therapy for the rehabilitation of HIV+ patients with weight loss. (C) Elsevier Science Inc. 1999.