Objective To explore ways to improve effect of antiretroviral therapy in acquired immune defi-ciency syndrome patients with comorbid malnutrition, in an effort to enhance quality of life and reduce cost. Methods 126 AIDS patients with comorbid malnutrition were randomly divided into treatment group ( n=63) and control group (n=63). Patients in the treatment group were given nutrition support besides antiretroviral ther-apy (ART), while those in the control group only received ART. After 3 months, the two groups were compared in terms of body mass index, skinfold thickness, CD4+T cell count and human immunodeficiency virus load. Re-sults The two groups were comparable before treatment in BMI, skinfold thickness, CD4+T cell count and HIV load (P>0. 05). After treatment, the treatment group, compared with the controls, had higher BMI [ (23. 23± 3. 15) kg/m2vs. (17. 25±1. 83) kg/m2], thicker skinfold [ (42. 9±6. 8) mm vs. (34. 5±5. 2) mm in males;(97. 6±17. 4) mm vs. (92. 3±14. 7) mm in females], higher CD4+T cell count (χ2=12. 573, P<0. 01), and lower HIV load (χ2=8. 683, P<0. 01). Conclusion Nutrition support may improve treatment of AIDS patients with comorbid malnutrition, as manifested in better BMI, skinfold thickness, CD4+T cell count and HIV load.