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Nutrient in Peanuts May
Aid Tuberculosis Treatment
LONDON (Reuters Health) -
The amino acid arginine, found abundantly in peanuts, might be
useful for fighting tuberculosis (TB), according to Swedish researchers.
Dr. Thomas Schoen and colleagues
from Linkoeping University studied 120 patients with TB in Ethiopia.
Each was given either a one-gram arginine supplement daily or
a placebo pill for four weeks, in addition to the normal TB treatment.
Arginine is essential for the body's
production of nitric oxide, a key weapon for defending against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB. The theory behind
the study was that malnutrition among TB patients might cause
a deficiency of the nutrient. None of the patients in the trial
were co-infected with HIV.
The researchers report that in
this group of HIV-negative TB patients, arginine supplementation
showed a "significant and favorable effect on weight gain...and
reduction of symptoms like cough." The findings are published
in the March issue of the European Respiratory Journal.
Tuberculosis, which is spread by
coughing and sneezing, primarily attacks the lungs and can prove
fatal. Despite the availability of effective treatment, 1.5 million
people worldwide still die from TB each year.
Supplementing the diets of people
being treated for TB could be "a valuable and cost-effective new
treatment strategy that might shorten the duration of conventional
(drug treatment)," Schoen and his colleagues conclude.
Peanuts, which are cheap and readily
available worldwide, contain 1 gram of arginine per 30 grams,
they point out. The amino acid is also found in a range of other
nuts.
Last month, a team of international
researchers said arginine could also be a potential new treatment
for malaria.
In a study of 75 children in Africa,
they discovered that those with the lowest levels of arginine
suffered the most severe effects of malaria.
They said that combining arginine
with anti-malaria drugs could be a more effective way of combating
the mosquito-borne disease that, worldwide, kills one person every
30 seconds.
SOURCE: European Respiratory Journal
2003;21:1-6.
Reference
Source 89
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