Soy Welcomed in Campaigns Against HIV/AIDS

Importance of Nutrition Highlighted on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 2007

Childrens’ cheers for “Soyamilk!” welcome the driver of a delivery truck upon its arrival in Kasheshe, Namibia where Africare, a leading nonprofit organization specializing in aid to Africa, has launched a nutrition program for people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Farther north in Africa, a Kenyan tribal chief expresses his gratitude for a HIV/AIDS nutrition pilot study conducted by the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program and Catholic Relief Services-Kenya. Many HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children who receive soy-based foods were able to maintain normal growth even as their community faced famine.

Across the globe in Guatemala, HIV/AIDS-infected orphans receive soy-based nutrition through a partnership between WISHH and the Juan Bautista Gutierrez Foundation. Local companies play a key role in manufacturing the foods made with high-protein U.S. soy thereby improving health and business opportunities in their communities.

As World AIDS Day 2007 approaches on December 1, these are just three of many examples of how soy’s protein and other nutritional benefits are playing an important role in campaigns against HIV/AIDS. “There is much work still to be done but it is positive to take note of the results that are being achieved through better nutrition using high-protein soy,” said (insert farmer leader or WISHH Executive Director Jim Hershey. “Good nutrition can make an enormous difference in whether children grow and whether HIV-infected parents can continue to work and care for their children.”

According to the World Health Organization, nutritional support is an integral part of a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS. The need for more nutrition components in HIV/AIDS responses was the focal point of an October 2007 Congressional hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. “We need to expand our viewpoint if we are truly going to make a dent in the global AIDS pandemic,” said Subcommittee Chairman Donald Payne (D-NJ) who convened the hearing. “We must see the interconnectivity between HIV/AIDS prevention care and treatment, and food security…. The mortality rate for malnourished individuals starting an anti-retroviral regimen is six times higher than their adequately nourished counterparts, and the side effects of HIV/AIDS medication are more pronounced for individuals who are not receiving adequate nutritional support, which could impact a patient' adherence to a treatment regimen,” Payne said.

 Soy protein’s value to developing countries is exactly why (insert your state) and other soybean grower organizations created the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program in 2000. Headquartered at the American Soybean Association in St. Louis, and WISHH creates sustainable solutions for the protein demands of people in developing countries through the introduction and use of U.S. soy products. WISHH has worked in 23 countries, ranging from Africa to Asia to Latin America, to improve diets as well as encourage growth of food industries. For more information, please visit www.wishh.org.

For more information, contact: Karen Edwards, World Initiative for Soy in Human Health, (703) 281-7600

Highlights of WISHH HIV Work Around the Globe

On World AIDS Day 2006, WISHH and The Solae Company announced they would collaborate with researchers at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa to fill a void in data concerning the role of protein supplementation for people living with HIV/AIDS. Researchers are now comparing the effect(s) of a micronutrient-fortified beverage containing soy protein isolate to a product with equal calories and micronutrients, but without supplemental protein. The study is expected to continue through the end of February 2008 for final measurement at the six-month mark. While results on the value of the protein supplementation will not be available until the research is completed, consumer acceptability of the flavored beverages is already positive.

WISHH partner Malnutrition Matters is working with Africare and similar organizations to install SoyCows and Vitagoat food processing systems machines in Namibia, South Africa and other countries. Africare clients speak enthusiastically about their increased weight gain while others praise the milk for giving them more energy to work.

A new milestone was reached in October 2007 when WISHH assists the Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA) and the Southern African Soyfoods Association (SASFA) in forging a new agreement that will benefit the soyfoods industries on both continents. The program receives support from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Global Development Alliance and Southern Africa Trade Hub Project.

In Honduras, WISHH worked with CARE, the Honduran Ministry of Health, Doctors Without Borders and others in the IMANAS program. Cargill contributed high-protein soy and project funds. In the words of an HIV-positive mother of five, “If it weren’t for the soy in the basic food basket provided by the IMANAS program, I wouldn’t be alive today. Soy has changed my life.”

WISHH’s work with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Kenya was part of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief. Families receiving soyfoods were trained in their use by CRS and six-month measurements were taken. The result: Three-fourths of those receiving soy-containing rations maintained or improved muscle strength. More than 95 percent liked the soyfoods.

Soya restaurants are offering soy cakes, porridges and much more in Mozambique where WISHH works with Planet Aid’s Total Control of the epidemic program that offers good nutrition and HIV education. The delivery of high-quality protein was a well received complement to the local starch-based diet. A local leader described the most profound benefit was that pregnant women who consumed soyfoods had larger and healthier babies.

Facts About Nutrition and HIV/AIDS

• Poor nutrition increases the risk for poor outcomes and progression of disease, which in turn increases the likelihood of malnutrition.
• “HIV/AIDS-infected people may need 50-100 percent more protein than uninfected people. Soy may be ideally suited to help meet their requirements for protein, calories and more,” according to Cade Fields-Gardner, MS, RD, LD, CD, HIV-specialist dietitian and WISHH consultant.
• The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS announced on November 20, 2007 that the percentage of people living with HIV has leveled off and the number of new infections has fallen, in part because of the impact of HIV programs. Caution was communicated that the world risks a resurgence of the AIDS epidemic if countries let their guard down. In 2007, 33.2 million people were estimated to be living with HIV.  More than 5700 people died each day from AIDS-related illnesses in 2007. More than 6800 people are still being infected with HIV daily, about 1200 of whom are children under 15 and about 2900 are women 15 years and older.

For more information about World AIDS Day  www.worldaidscampaign.info

Photo caption: Soymilk is now offered in Kasheshe, Namibia where Africare, a leading nonprofit organization specializing in aid to Africa, has launched a nutrition program for people living with HIV/AIDS. WISHH partner Malnutrition Matters is providing Soycow and Vitagoat equipment to produce soymilk and soy-based foods. Photo credit: Africare

Photo caption: A Kenyan tribal chief expresses his gratitude for a HIV/AIDS nutrition pilot study conducted by the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program and Catholic Relief Services-Kenya. Many HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children who receive soy-based foods were able to maintain normal growth even as their community faced famine. From left, Michelle Berger (graduate student in nutrition assisting with the baseline measures); orphan child who is part of the program conducted by CRS-Kenya; tribal chief and WISHH HIV/AIDS advisor Cade Fields-Gardner.  Photo credit: WISHH