Tuberculosis and nutrition: A study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has shown that improved nutrition can significantly reduce tuberculosis cases and deaths, with the World Health Organization (WHO) incorporating its findings into updated global guidance on TB control.
The study, published in The Lancet, looked at how nutritional supplements affected people living with patients who have been diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. The study took place in 28 units of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme across four districts in Jharkhand and included household members of 2,800 TB patients.
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In India, tuberculosis and undernutrition are described as syndemic, with both conditions occurring together at high rates. During the trial, TB patients in both groups received food rations for six months, but only household contacts in the intervention group were also given monthly food rations and micronutrients. All household contacts were screened for co-prevalent TB at baseline and actively followed up until July 2022.
Between August 2019 and January 2021, more than 10,000 household contacts were enrolled. Of these, over 94% in the intervention group and more than 90% in the control group completed outcome assessments. Nearly two-thirds of the participants belonged to indigenous communities such as the Santhals, Ho, Munda, Oraon and Bhumij, while around 34% were undernourished.
The findings demonstrated a significant link between nutritional support and a decrease in tuberculosis incidence among household members over a two-year follow-up period. “To our knowledge, this is the first randomised trial examining the effect of nutritional support on tuberculosis incidence in household contacts,” the study said, adding that the biosocial intervention could accelerate reductions in TB incidence in countries with high burdens of both TB and undernutrition.
