Lengthen patients' lives by curbing malnutrition.

• Position: AIDS patients - Special Newsletter Edition: Your Health

People in the latter stages of AIDS suffer from a dual assault on the body, having to battle not only immune system disorders, but malnutrition as well. This is because many patients have difficulty consuming the 4,000 or more calories a day needed to sustain body weight--an amount nearly twice that required for the average adult.

Good nutrition and adequate calorie consumption are vitally important factors in adding to both the quality and length of life of a person with the disease, indicates Ann Merrill, assistant professor of nursing, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. "With the attnedant physical sysmptoms such as nausea and anorexia associated with AIDS, eating nutrientdense foods becomes extremely important for these patients. Increasing the calorie content, so they don't have to increase the amount of food they eat, can be done in a variety of ways."

She warns against "megadosing" on vitamins and minerals, noting that, in some cases, this can make the disease worse.

"Although it seems paradoxical, symptoms of nutrient deficiency and overdose are often similar. Megadosing with vitamin E, zinc, and iron all contribute to an increased susceptibility to infection. Taking megadoses of other vitamins and minerals, with the exception of folic acid and vitamin B-12, also can result in physical symptoms that range from hair and nail loss to convulsions. Rather than megadosing, a daily supplement that contains the recommended daily allowances of the needed vitamins and minerals is sufficient to meet micronutrient needs."

Additional calories, without increasing bulk in meals, can be worked into the daily diet by...