Researchers discovered that people with active tuberculosis have unusual levels of important minerals in their blood, including too much copper and too little selenium and zinc. These mineral imbalances appear connected to inflammation in the body. When patients received tuberculosis treatment, their mineral levels improved and moved closer to normal. The study suggests that proper nutrition, especially getting enough of the right minerals, might help people fight tuberculosis better. This finding could lead to new ways to support TB patients beyond just antibiotics.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether people with tuberculosis have different levels of minerals in their blood compared to healthy people, and how these minerals connect to body inflammation and vitamin D levels.
  • Who participated: Three groups of people: those with active tuberculosis, those with dormant tuberculosis infection, and healthy people without tuberculosis. The exact number of participants wasn’t specified in the available information.
  • Key finding: People with active tuberculosis had significantly higher copper levels and lower selenium and zinc levels compared to healthy people. After receiving tuberculosis treatment, these mineral levels improved and became more balanced.
  • What it means for you: Getting enough selenium and zinc, and avoiding excess copper, may help your body fight tuberculosis more effectively. However, this research is early-stage, and you should always follow your doctor’s TB treatment plan. Don’t try to change your mineral intake without medical guidance.

The Research Details

Scientists compared blood samples from three different groups of people to measure their mineral levels. They looked at people actively fighting tuberculosis, people with dormant tuberculosis (the infection is sleeping in their body), and healthy people without any tuberculosis. They measured specific minerals like copper, zinc, selenium, and iron, plus checked vitamin D levels and inflammation markers in the blood. The researchers used statistical tests to find patterns and connections between minerals and inflammation. They also tracked some TB patients before and after they received treatment to see how their mineral levels changed.

Understanding how minerals affect tuberculosis is important because it might reveal a new way to help patients. If we know that certain mineral imbalances make TB worse, doctors could potentially recommend specific foods or supplements alongside regular TB medicine. This approach could be especially helpful in developing countries where malnutrition is common and TB is widespread.

This study compared different groups and measured multiple factors, which is a solid research approach. However, the sample size wasn’t clearly reported, which makes it harder to know how reliable the results are. The findings show clear patterns, but the researchers themselves note that more studies are needed to confirm these results and test whether actually changing mineral intake helps TB patients.

What the Results Show

People with active tuberculosis showed a clear pattern of mineral imbalance. They had significantly higher levels of copper in their blood and much lower levels of selenium and zinc. The ratio of copper to zinc was particularly high in TB patients. When TB patients received standard tuberculosis treatment, their mineral levels shifted dramatically—copper decreased, zinc increased, and selenium levels improved. These changes happened alongside improvements in their TB infection. The researchers also found that copper levels in TB patients were connected to inflammation markers in the blood, suggesting that excess copper might be fueling the body’s inflammatory response to the infection.

Iron levels were also higher in people with active tuberculosis compared to healthy people. The study found that minerals and their ratios could help distinguish between people with active TB and healthy people. Copper showed strong connections to multiple inflammation-related proteins in TB patients, but these connections were much weaker in healthy people. This suggests that the mineral imbalance in TB patients is linked to how their immune system responds to the infection.

Previous research has shown that malnutrition worsens tuberculosis outcomes, but this study provides specific details about which minerals matter most. The finding that mineral levels improve with TB treatment is new and suggests that the infection itself causes these imbalances, not just poor nutrition. The connection between copper and inflammation aligns with other research showing that copper plays a role in immune responses.

The study didn’t clearly report how many people participated, making it hard to judge how reliable the results are. The researchers only measured minerals at specific points in time rather than tracking changes continuously. The study doesn’t prove that mineral imbalances cause worse TB—only that they occur together. The findings come from one research group and need to be confirmed by other scientists. Finally, the study doesn’t test whether actually giving people supplements of selenium or zinc would help them fight TB better.

The Bottom Line

This research suggests that maintaining adequate selenium and zinc levels may support your body’s ability to fight tuberculosis, but the evidence is still preliminary. If you have tuberculosis, follow your doctor’s prescribed treatment plan—that’s the proven way to cure the infection. Don’t self-treat with mineral supplements without talking to your healthcare provider first. If you’re interested in nutrition support for TB, discuss it with your doctor or a nutritionist who can recommend appropriate foods or supplements based on your individual needs.

People with tuberculosis or at risk for TB reactivation should be aware of this research. Healthcare providers treating TB patients in areas with malnutrition may find this information useful. People with latent TB infection (dormant TB) might benefit from ensuring adequate mineral intake, though more research is needed. This is less relevant for people without TB exposure, though maintaining good mineral nutrition is important for everyone’s health.

If mineral supplementation were to help TB patients, improvements would likely take weeks to months to become noticeable, similar to how TB treatment itself takes months. The mineral level changes observed in this study occurred over the course of TB treatment, which typically lasts 6 months or longer.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track daily intake of selenium-rich foods (Brazil nuts, fish, eggs) and zinc-rich foods (beans, nuts, whole grains, meat) alongside TB treatment progress. Set a goal to include at least one selenium source and one zinc source daily, and monitor how you feel over weeks.
  • Add one selenium-rich food or zinc-rich food to your daily meals. For example: eat one Brazil nut daily for selenium, or add beans to lunch for zinc. Log these additions in your nutrition tracker and note any changes in energy or symptom improvement over time.
  • Create a weekly nutrition checklist tracking selenium and zinc food sources consumed. Pair this with symptom tracking (energy levels, appetite, recovery progress) to identify any patterns. Share this information with your healthcare provider at regular TB treatment check-ups to discuss whether additional nutritional support might help.

This research is preliminary and has not yet been confirmed by independent studies. It does not prove that mineral supplements can treat or prevent tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease that requires medical treatment with prescribed antibiotics—do not attempt to treat TB with nutrition alone. If you have tuberculosis or suspect you might, consult a healthcare provider immediately. Do not start any mineral supplements or make significant dietary changes without discussing them with your doctor, especially if you’re taking TB medications, as some supplements can interact with medications. This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice.