Back before antibiotics came along, doctors used a popular nutrient to treat tuberculosis. But once drugs took over, most doctors completely forgot about it. Today, new evidence suggests that this nutrient is still one of the best treatments we have for this disease.
The nutrient is vitamin D. It certainly makes sense with what we know about its effects today. It dramatically hikes up the ability of your white blood cells to kill bacterial and viral invaders.
A recent study followed 192 healthy adults in London who came into contact with TB. They found that the nutrient improved their ability to resist the rugged organism. The participants took either a single dose of vitamin D (2.5 mg = 100,000 IU) or a placebo. At six weeks, those that took the vitamin D had much greater ability in their serum to fight the germ. The authors believe that we need more research on vitamin D and its effects in preventing TB reactivation.
TB is nasty and its resurging. In medical school, I was abundantly exposed, as were others. Interestingly, I observed that most people exposed never had a problem. But some did get in real trouble. The magic must be in the resistance of the host to TB, as it is with all infections.
Vitamin D is a real hero with your immune cells. With summer almost over and winter just a few months away, I repeat my recommendation of 5,000 IU daily of vitamin D. You might not know if, in the airplane coughing in the seat behind you, the man has TB or the flu. Vitamin D will protect you from both!
Ref: Martineau, A.R., R.J. Wilkinson, et al. A single dose of vitamin D enhances immunity to mycobacteria, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2007; 176(2): 208-13.