News Article 3

"The Nation", April 2, 1998, Kenya
By Catherine Mgendi

New drug suppresses HIV scourge

Nairobi - Researchers at the South African University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, have discovered that plant fats, commonly found in most plants, could yield a cheaper treatment for HIV/Aids patients.

According to the University's head of immunology, Prof. Patrick J. D. Bouic, the plant fats - sterol and sterolin - stabilised and maintained HIV positive patients' capacity to fight off infections over a period of 27 to 36 months.

Prof. Bouic said another group of patients who had opted out of the open-ended trial however developed and died of Aids 18 months into the trials.

He said the sterol-sterolin mixture had also been shown to slowly reduce the viral load of seropositive patients over a nine month duration.

"At nine months," he said, "there was a major reduction in the viral load, down to a level that the body could manage."

"I am not bringing you a cure from South Africa," he however cautioned.

ERROR MSG"We believe what we have here is a management strategy for African HIV/Aids patients while we are waiting for the answer."

ERROR MSGProf. Bouic made the revelation recently when he addressed members of the Kenya Medical Association at a Nairobi hotel last week. He has been studying the plant fats for the last 10 years.

According to the immunologist, sterol and sterolin closely resemble the animal fat cholesterol and occur in virtually every plant, including food crops but more so in root tubers.

However, the body can only absorb very limited amounts from dietary intake because they firmly bind onto plant fibres.

The fats, which were first isolated 70 years ago, have been widely studied, a number of published works indicate, and are used to manage a host of ailments including cancer, hypoglycaemia, chronic arthritis and auto-immuno diseases.

ERROR MSGIn South Africa, they are marketed as a food supplement called Modecure.

Sterols are now available in America from Life Pharmicals - Click here to order.