Tuberculosis
Supplements studied for tuberculosis.
Overview
Vitamin D and Vitamin A are the two supplements studied for tuberculosis, both with low evidence ratings. Vitamin D usually does not reduce TB severity or death rates, though it may slightly improve infection clearance and shorten cough and fever by one to two weeks in patients starting treatment, especially those with low vitamin D.
Vitamin A does not help people recover faster or reduce death risk, even though levels are often low in TB patients. Standard treatment alone may restore vitamin A without supplementation. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for more detail.
Effect graph
Relevant supplements
Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.
Studies
Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.
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Vitamin DView supplement →
Reconsider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- Vitamin D supplements usually don’t reduce tuberculosis severity or death rates.
- But in patients just starting TB treatment, vitamin D may slightly improve infection clearance and shorten cough and fever duration by a week or two.
- These benefits are small and mostly seen in people with low vitamin D.
Browse 11 studies·3 meta-analyses
RCTVitamin D supplementation to prevent tuberculosis infection in South African schoolchildren: multicenter phase 3 double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial (ViDiKids)2023
In a 12-week resistance training RCT of 23 overweight adults, 4,000 IU/day vitamin D improved early peak power and was inversely associated with waist-to-hip ratio change.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Dose
- 4000 IU/day
- Population
- Adults
- Avg age
- 26.1±4.7
RCTCalcitriol supplementation accelerates the recovery of patients with tuberculosis who have vitamin D deficiency: a randomized, single-blind, controlled clinical trial2022n=30
An RCT in 30 tuberculosis patients with low 25(OH)D found calcitriol supplementation accelerated CD4+ T cell recovery and sputum conversion versus standard treatment.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 24 weeks
- Dose
- 0.25 µg twice daily calcitriol
- Population
- Patients
- Participants
- 30
RCTEffects of Vitamin D supplementation on resolution of fever and cough in children with pulmonary tuberculosis: A randomized double-blind controlled trial in Indonesia2022n=84
An RCT in 84 Indonesian children with pulmonary TB found vitamin D 1,000 IU/day plus standard treatment accelerated fever and cough resolution versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Dose
- 1000 IU/day
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 84
- Ages
- 6–18
RCTAdjunctive vitamin A and D during pulmonary tuberculosis treatment: a randomized controlled trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design2020n=761
A randomized trial of 761 patients with positive baseline sputum smear results found that 2000 IU/day the allocation to vitamin A or D did not significantly influence the time to sputum smear conversion [vitamin A: adjusted hazard ratio: 1.021, 95% CI: (0.821, 1.271); vitamin D: adjusted hazard ratio: 0.949, 95% CI: (0.760, 1.185)].
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Dose
- 2000 IU/day
- Population
- Patients With Positive Baseline Sputum Smear Results
- Participants
- 761
RCTEfficacy of vitamin D3 supplementation for the prevention of pulmonary tuberculosis and mortality in HIV: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial2020n=2,001
An RCT in 2,001 HIV-positive adults starting ART in Tanzania found vitamin D 2,000 IU/day for 1 year did not reduce mortality or pulmonary TB incidence versus placebo.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 1 year
- Dose
- 2000 IU/day
- Population
- Pregnant women
- Participants
- 2,001
RCTVitamin D Supplements for Prevention of Tuberculosis Infection and Disease2020n=8,851
An RCT in 8,851 South African children found weekly vitamin D 14,000 IU for 3 years did not prevent M. tuberculosis infection or TB disease versus placebo.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 3 years
- Dose
- 14000 IU/day
- Population
- Children/adolescents
- Participants
- 8,851
MetaEffects of vitamin D supplementation on the outcomes of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis2018n=1,787
A meta-analysis of RCTs in 1,787 pulmonary TB patients found vitamin D supplementation did not significantly improve sputum conversion or reduce mortality versus control.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Dose
- 1000 IU/day
- Population
- Patients
- Participants
- 1,787
MetaThe association between vitamin D status and tuberculosis in children: A meta-analysis2018
A meta-analysis found vitamin D deficiency associated with tuberculosis in children (OR 1.70), and TB patients had significantly lower vitamin D levels.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Population
- Children/adolescents
RCTVitamin D, tuberculin skin test conversion, and latent tuberculosis in Mongolian school-age children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled feasibility trial2012n=120
In 120 Mongolian schoolchildren, 800 IU/day vitamin D for 6 months raised 25(OH)D and improved growth; fewer tuberculin skin test conversions occurred in the vitamin D group (trend, P = 0.05).
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 6 months
- Dose
- 800 IU/day
- Population
- Children/adolescents
- Participants
- 120
MetaNutritional supplements for people being treated for active tuberculosis2011n=6,842
A meta-analysis of 6842 participants found that results are presented as risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous variables, and mean differences (MD) for continuous variables, with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 6,842
RCTVitamin D as supplementary treatment for tuberculosis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial2009n=365
An RCT in 365 TB patients in Guinea-Bissau found cholecalciferol 100,000 IU at 0, 5, and 8 months did not reduce clinical severity scores or 12-month mortality versus placebo.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 12 months
- Dose
- 100,000 IU cholecalciferol at 0, 5, 8 months
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 365
Vitamin AView supplement →
Reconsider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- Taking vitamin A by mouth does not help people with tuberculosis get better faster, or reduce the risk of death.
- Even though vitamin A levels are often low in these patients, standard tuberculosis treatment alone may restore vitamin A without the need for extra supplements.
Browse 3 studies·2 meta-analyses
MetaEffects of zinc and vitamin A supplementation on prognostic markers and treatment outcomes of adults with pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis2022n=1,375
A meta-analysis of 1375 participants found that among adults with pulmonary TB, zinc (RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.03), vitamin A (RR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.01) and combined zinc and vitamin A (RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.08) supplementation were not significantly associated with TB treatment success.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 1,375
RCTAdjunctive vitamin A and D during pulmonary tuberculosis treatment: a randomized controlled trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design2020n=761
A randomized trial of 761 patients with positive baseline sputum smear results found that 2000 IU/day the allocation to vitamin A or D did not significantly influence the time to sputum smear conversion [vitamin A: adjusted hazard ratio: 1.021, 95% CI: (0.821, 1.271); vitamin D: adjusted hazard ratio: 0.949, 95% CI: (0.760, 1.185)].
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Dose
- 2000 IU/day
- Population
- Patients With Positive Baseline Sputum Smear Results
- Participants
- 761
MetaNutritional supplements for people being treated for active tuberculosis2011n=6,842
A meta-analysis of 6842 participants found that results are presented as risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous variables, and mean differences (MD) for continuous variables, with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
- Effect
- Benefit
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 6,842
Evidence visualised
Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.