Peanut-based supplements boost weight in malnourished TB patients

Tuberculosis remains closely linked with malnutrition: people with active pulmonary TB often struggle to maintain or gain weight while on treatment, which can undermine recovery and overall health. Responding to this challenge, a team led by investigators including corresponding author Rakesh Kumar carried out an open-label randomized controlled trial in Faridabad, India, to test whether a targeted food-based intervention could help. The researchers focused on adults diagnosed with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis who were also undernourished. Rather than testing a new drug, the trial evaluated a peanut-based energy-dense nutritional supplement (EDNS) given alongside usual clinical care. The goal was straightforward: find out whether providing extra calories and nutrients in a compact, palatable form could lead to meaningful weight gain during the period of TB treatment. By running a randomized trial in a real-world setting in India, the investigators aimed to produce evidence that could inform programmatic responses where malnutrition and tuberculosis overlap.

The study was designed as an open-label randomized controlled trial comparing the peanut-based energy-dense nutritional supplement (EDNS) to standard care among undernourished adults with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis in Faridabad, India. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the EDNS in addition to routine clinical management or to receive standard care alone. As an open-label trial, both participants and clinicians knew which intervention was given, allowing researchers to test the practical impact of adding a food supplement to usual services. The primary outcome assessed was weight gain. According to the trial abstract, EDNS significantly improved weight gain compared to standard care. The finding is presented as a clear difference in nutritional response favoring the peanut-based supplement, indicating that this specific, energy-dense product produced measurable benefits for weight among the trial population.

The trial’s results point to a practical and potentially scalable approach to a common problem in TB care: how to support patients who are undernourished while they complete treatment for drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis. Because the intervention tested was a food product — a peanut-based energy-dense nutritional supplement (EDNS) — it may be easier to adopt within existing health programs than interventions that require complex supply chains or specialized medical infrastructure. The abstract highlights that EDNS significantly improved weight gain and frames the intervention as offering a scalable solution for targeted nutritional support. If further work confirms these results in other settings and explores how best to deliver supplements alongside TB treatment, programs could incorporate similar supplements to help vulnerable patients build strength and resilience during therapy. The study thus contributes straightforward evidence linking a specific nutrition product to improved weight outcomes in a high-need population.