Diets low in produce result in vitamin C deficiencies, while diets low in animal protein result in sulfur amino acid deficiencies. Stress, strenous excercise, and chronic wasting disease such as malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS also reduce respiratory immunity. Many people with AIDS eventually die of pneumonia or tuberculosis because their respiratory immunity is so compromised. More HIV-positive Africans die from tuberculosis than from actual AIDS. To complicate matters further, environmental and pathogenic toxins become more virulent when gluathione and other sulfur proteins are powerful detoxifiers.
Besides its antioxidant action and effects on respiratory immunity, glutathione has an important function in generalized immune reactivity by modulating T-cell natural killer activity. Regular NAC supplementation can benefit elderly, malnourished, chronically ill, and immune-suppressed persons. Several studies have shown that HIV-positive patients in different stages of infection have abnormally low cysteine and glutathione levels. The constant stress of fighting an infection that suppresses general immunity requires high levels of glutathione activity. Since reduced food intake and muscle wasting are associated with HIV, cysteine/glutathione deficiency can occur rapidly in AIDS patients, resulting in a rapid decline in health.
Based on word of mouth, NAC supplementation in the range 1-5 g/day is fairly popular among HIV-positive individuals. Some controlled research studies report improved lymphocyte counts, T-cell, and natural killer cell functions, and reduced HIV viral levels in AIDS patients. The improvements occurred regardless of wheather the patients were taking antiretroviral drugs simultaneously. Effective doses were 0.8-3.2 g/day: combined NAC and vitamin C supplementation was even more beneficial. A recent study in which 30 Brazilian patients were given only 600 mg/day in conjunction with drug treatment failed to show improvement over placebo after 180 days.
No matter the outcome in a complicated disease like AIDS, the vaule of supplemental NAC is clearly established. A good rule of thumb for treating respiratory conditions such as asthma is 300-500 mg NAC three times daily. Persons with immune suppression may need to double this dosage.
