In people with hiv good nutrition supports overall health and helps maintain the immune system good nutrition also helps people with hiv maintain a healthy weight and absorb hiv medicines food and water can be contaminated with germs that cause illnesses called foodborne illnesses or food poisoning. Chronic infection including hiv aids can lead to poor growth and may reduce appetite food intake and nutrient absorption at a time when the body needs good nutrition the most to fight the infection the result is a further weakened immune system that is ill equipped to fight the virus and infections like tuberculosis. Nutrients burn faster as discussed above the immune system is continuously fighting hiv even when anti hiv drugs are being used and repairing damage caused by the virus and other infections this causes the body to burn nutrients faster which can cause many nutrient levels to become low