Tuberculosis Drugs Work Better With Vitamin C: Says Study

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient which can prove to be quite beneficial for our body. It is said to provide enormous benefits that can keep many diseases at bay. In a recent study published in the U.S journal of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, it was claimed that including vitamin C rich foods in your daily diet could wipe out drug-resistant strains of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. Foods like bell peppers, dark leafy greens, berries and oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. According to the researchers, the addition of vitamin C to TB drug treatment and could shorten the TB chemotherapy and could also reduce the unusually long time it takes these drugs to eradicate this pathogen. 

In the study, the investigators treated Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected mice with anti-tuberculosis drugs or vitamin C alone, or the drugs and vitamin C together. According to the researchers, vitamin C had no activity by itself, but in two independent experiments, the combination of vitamin C with the first-line TB drugs, reduced the organ burdens faster than the two drugs without vitamin C.

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Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis and can turn out to be fatal if appropriate measures are not taken. People who are undernourished have a greater risk of developing TB. Including foods that are rich in vitamin c in the daily diet regime of TB patients could provide many benefits. Vitamin C also boosts the body's ability to synthesize calcium.

Tuberculosis is a major worldwide public health problem, infecting the lungs and other organ systems, researchers said. In 2016, the disease sickened more than 10 million people worldwide, and killed 1.7 million, they said.

Treatment of multi-drug resistant TB takes at least two years, and requires use of toxic second-line TB drugs with severe side effects.