first of all, we all know that NEJM is published by commies. They seek my essence,Mandrake, but I deny them it.

Interesting study, for a bunch of commies, though. Note some things:
-these were sick people, not well people trying to extend lifespan
-these weren't just sick people, they were PREGNANT sick people in a third-world nation where one would expect a fair amount of vitamin deficiency without being also pregnant with AIDS
-macronutrient deficiency is common in AIDS, so naturally vitamin replenishment (NOT supplementation, but replenishment)could be expected to help
-adding vitamin A had no benefit or even, in the case of CD4/CD8 levels, abolished the benefit of the other vitamins.

So once again, I say: giving vitamins to people who are sick is one thing. Claiming a benefit in people who are well and who have normal GI tracts (remember, AIDS is commonly associated with GI dysfunction) is a big leap. Kinda like saying that, since aspirin has therapeutic effect during MI and has preventive benefit in people with history of MI, we all should take it even if we have no heart disease. Result: lots of folks with no heart problems are being seen by me for their aspirin-induced ulcers.

'Course, that aspirin thing was prolly a commie plot, too....

Yup, and my name is snow white, nice to meet cha. Too funny.

I also don't see anything earthshattering in this at all. Seems like common sense to me, for the reasons Mike pointed out. I could not think of a population more likely to be vitamin deficient than this one, so naturally they would benefit from more vitamins. Also, I want to point out that these were replacement doses of vitamins, quite on the low end, not megavitamins.

I think an even more interesting point is that the viatmin A supplementation is detrimental. This is not the first study that has shown that vitamin A or betacarotene can be a problem in some populations. (The one that comes to mind was a study that showed an increase in lung cancer among smokers who took betacarotene, the opposite of what the researchers were hoping to find).

But, if you're pregnant, with HIV and live in the third world, this study definitely is helpful.

Oh yeah, vitamin A is definitely one of those vitamins you have to be careful with. It's usually the fat-solubles that are troublesome from everything I've read. That and certain minerals.

Yup. Eating polar bear liver can kill you because of all the vitamin A.

You know, in case anyone ever offers you any!

I think the government should print warning labels on all polar bears. Make those rangers earn their pay!