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Russian and U.S. scientists are currently creating what they call "a pleasant and harmless vaccine" for HIV. And an edible one too. So far, researchers have managed to incorporate the protein gene-HIV antigen in tomatoes.
Although they are not at the stage of creating the vaccine yet, biologists have managed to incorporate the right gene into tomato plants and have proved the protein required for the vaccine is not only contained in the leaves, but in the tomato itself.
Scientists didn't choose tomatoes by chance either. Transgenic plants, which contain protein- HIV antigen, have already been cultivated, but these plants are either not edible, like tobacco, or must be thermally processed, like potatoes. In both scenarios, they practically lose their healing powers.
However, the tomato serves ideally for this purpose. The good thing is that this vegetable grows pretty well in Russia, compared to bananas, already used by Western scientists to produce vaccines.
Although a cure for HIV or AIDS hasn't been discovered, there are some simple and practical ways to keep your immune system strong, one of the most important being the avoidance of sugar and grains. Sugar immediately decreases how your immune system functions.
Science Daily August 19, 2004