Conclusion Vitamin D supplementation showed no influence on the improvement of sputum smear-negative conversion rates and BMI , as well as the decrease in ESR
Background Vitamin D might be promising to serve as an adjunctive therapy for pulmonary tuberculosis ( TB ) .
However , the results remained controversial .
We conducted a systematic review and meta- analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vitamin D in patients with pulmonary TB .
Why randomized controlled trials of calcium and vitamin D sometimes fail
The importance of nutrients for promotion of health and prevention of disease has long been recognized . Nonetheless , scientists are still trying to delineate the optimal intakes of various nutrients and their potential benefits for different population s. To that end , evidence -based medicine ( EBM ) has been applied to the study of nutrition . EBM methods basically call for the use of r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) to establish causal connection between the intervention and any particular endpoint . This paper focuses on problems that arise in the use of RCTS to establish a causal link between nutrients and various clinical endpoints . While many RCTS of calcium and vitamin D have been positive , many others have been null . In this paper , we discuss the reasons why effective nutrient agents may be found to be ineffective in particular studies , giving examples of such null results , and focusing on the nearly universal failure to consider biological criteria in design ing RCTs . Our purpose is ( 1 ) to inform future study design so as to ensure that relevant biological facts are considered and ( 2 ) to aid in the interpretation of the abundant , but often inconsistent literature on this topic
Conclusion Vitamin D supplementation showed no influence on the improvement of sputum smear-negative conversion rates and BMI , as well as the decrease in ESR
Background Vitamin D might be promising to serve as an adjunctive therapy for pulmonary tuberculosis ( TB ) .
However , the results remained controversial .
We conducted a systematic review and meta- analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vitamin D in patients with pulmonary TB .