Good nutrition strengthens the body and the immune system. That’s why improving nutrition is so important for someone whose immune system is under attack from HIV and whose body is weakened by AIDS.

A healthy diet is no substitute for HIV and AIDS medicines. But it can make the medicines more effective. And besides, for many people living in rural communities in Africa, the drugs are too expensive or simply unavailable. There may be no local health services at all. In effect, then, nutritious food may be the only available medicine for coping with the disease.

Good nutrition = treatment and prevention

Good nutrition is not just a way of treating the disease; it can do a lot to keep the disease from spreading, too.

Good nutrition is particularly important for pregnant and nursing women with HIV. Research indicates that a lack of vitamin A in the diets of pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers can contribute to HIV transmission from mother to child. The fact that the HIV can be passed from mother to child is just one of the reasons for targeting women as well as men in the campaign to end AIDS.

Find out more about women and AIDS.

Plus, think of what those extra years can mean to the children of parents with HIV and AIDS. It’s a terrible thing to become an orphan, but there’s a big difference between being orphaned at 15 and being orphaned at seven. Can you imagine what it would be like if your parents became ill with AIDS?

Find out more about young people and AIDS.

The longer parents live the more time there is to pass on to their children the skills and knowledge they need to take care of themselves. The more time they have to care for and love them. This love and guidance can keep children safe from malnutrition, disease, abuse and sexual exploitation – factors that fuel the spread of HIV and AIDS.

So you see, food has a huge role to play in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Find out more about FAO and the AIDS epidemic.