Malaria

Overview

Vitamin A may reduce malaria symptoms in children under three in endemic areas when taken by mouth, though very high single doses in severe malaria do not appear to help recovery or survival. N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) added intravenously to standard treatment did not improve symptoms or survival in one small study.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) in a multivitamin combination tested for three months in Gambian children did not lower malaria frequency or severity compared with placebo. The heatmap and evidence reviews below compare these supplements.

Effect graph

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Relevant supplements

Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.


Vitamin A	★★★★★	Low
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)	★★★★★	Very Low / None
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	★★★★★	Very Low / None

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Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

3 supplements for and rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

Vitamin AView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeLowEvidenceLowTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Taking vitamin A by mouth may help reduce malaria symptoms in children under 3 living in areas where malaria is common.
But giving very high single doses of vitamin A to young children with severe malaria does not seem to help with recovery or survival.

Browse 2 studies

RCTEffect of vitamin A adjunct therapy for cerebral malaria in children admitted to Mulago hospital: a randomized controlled trial2012n=142

A randomized trial of 142 children/adolescents found that vitamin A as adjunct therapy did not significantly reduce coma duration but there were fewer deaths in the vitamin A arm.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 7 days
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 142
Ages: 6–59

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RCTEffect of vitamin A supplementation on morbidity due to Plasmodium falciparum in young children in Papua New Guinea: a randomised trial1999n=241

A randomized trial of 241 children/adolescents found that the number of P. falciparum febrile episodes (temperature > or = 37.5 degrees C with a parasite count of at least 8000/microL) was 30% lower in the vitamin A group than in the placebo group (178 vs 249 episodes; relative risk 0.70 [95% CI 0.57-0.87], p=0.0013).

Effect: Benefit
Duration: 13 months
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 241
Ages: 6–60

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N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)View supplement →

Do not purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceLowTrustMedium

Hospital IV/IM therapy — not an oral supplement

Evidence Review

It is unclear whether intravenous N-acetylcysteine (NAC) helps treat malaria.
One small study found that adding NAC to malaria treatment did not improve symptoms or survival compared to the usual treatment.

Browse 1 study

RCTN-acetylcysteine as adjunctive treatment in severe malaria: a randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial2009n=56

A double-blind RCT of 108 severe malaria patients found adjunct IV NAC did not reduce mortality or improve lactate clearance versus placebo, though oxidative markers changed.

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Healthy adults
Participants: 56

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Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)View supplement →

Do not purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceLowTrustLow

Evidence Review

It is unclear if taking riboflavin (vitamin B2) by itself helps prevent malaria.
One study in children living in Gambia tested a supplement with riboflavin and other vitamins and minerals for 3 months but found it did not lower how often or how badly they got malaria compared to placebo.

Browse 1 study

Controlled trialEffect of supplementary vitamins and iron on malaria indices in rural Gambian children1987n=190

A study of 190 children/adolescents found that no significant difference in malarial incidence was observed between the 2 groups, despite a major improvement in biochemical indices of nutrient status in the supplemented group, especially for riboflavin and vitamin C.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 3 months
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 190

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Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

Purchase-guidance distribution

How many supplements fall in each purchase band

Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 3 supplements for malaria (4 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Share
Vitamin A	★★★★★44%	2	50%
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)	★★★★★32%	1	25%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	★★★★★28%	1	25%

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Overview

Effect graph

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Studies

Evidence visualised

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