This is Robert Cohen with the VOA Special English DevelopmentReport.

A study of women infected with H.I.V. suggests that vitamins candelay the progress of AIDS. These are the results of a five-yearstudy in Tanzania. The findings suggest that vitamins could delaythe need to start costly AIDS drugs in developing countries. Doctorssay the drugs could then go to those who need them most.

American and Tanzanian scientists found that the vitaminsincreased counts of cells that fight disease. And there were somereductions in H.I.V. levels in the blood. H.I.V. is the virus thatdevelops into AIDS.

There are fourteen kinds of vitamins. People who do not getenough of these chemical compounds in their food, or want more,often take multivitamins. The women in the study took multivitaminsthat contained large amounts of vitamin B, as well as vitamins C andE.

More than one-thousand pregnant women infected with H.I.V. tookpart. Some received a daily multivitamin without vitamin A. Othersreceived a multivitamin plus vitamin A. Still others took vitamin Aalone. The scientists gave placebo pills to a fourth group of women.These pills contained no vitamins at all.

The mothers received yearly medical examinations. The bestresults were reported in those who took multivitamins withoutvitamin A for the five years of the study. The researchers foundthat these mothers were fifty percent less likely to progress toAIDS as those in the placebo group.

Women who took multivitamins also had fewer problems such asmouth infections and diarrhea as their infection worsened. Still,death rates were not much different between the women who tookmultivitamins and those who did not.

The researchers say the multivitamins used in the study costabout fifteen dollars for a one-year supply. AIDS drugs can costdeveloping countries several hundred dollars or more.

The study did not include H.I.V. infected men. But Doctor WafaieFawzi at the Harvard School of Public Health says he believes menwould also gain from multivitamins.

The New England Journal of Medicine published the results lastweek. Also last week, the United Nations reported that about fivemillion people became infected with H.I.V. last year. That is themost yet. To hear more about the AIDS crisis, listen to the HealthReport at this same time on Wednesday.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by JillMoss. This is Robert Cohen.