Health News
2007-05-18
Vitamin D wards
off TB
Vitamin D may
help fight tuberculosis, reports the BBC.
A study of 131
people at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and
Vitamin D may
help fight tuberculosis, reports the BBC.
A study of 131
people at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and
Imperial College found the vitamin helped the body
inhibit the growth of bacteria that causes the
respiratory disease. The group was then divided into two
groups: 64 participants were given a placebo; the rest, 2.5
milligrams of vitamin D.
After six weeks,
blood was taken and infected with mycobacteria, the
family of bacteria that cause TB. After 24 hours, the
samples showed those who had taken vitamin D had 20%
less bacterial growth than the placebo group.
Lead researcher
Adrian Martineau told the BBC: “This shows that a
simple, cheap supplement could make a significant
impact on the health of people most at risk from the
disease.”
Until now, no
study has evaluated the effect of vitamin D on the
body’s immunity to mycobacteria. However,
vitamin D was originally used to treat TB in
sanatoriums before antibiotics came in to use. Vitamin D has
also been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and
diabetes. (The Advocate)
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 1