CHENNAI: Tuberculosis does far more than attack the lungs; it disrupts the body's metabolic balance and depletes essential fats even before symptoms appear, according to a major global study with significant implications for high-burden states such as Tamil Nadu.
The study, published in eBioMedicine, found that infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis leads to a marked reduction in long-chain fatty acids, nutrients critical for immune function, energy regulation and inflammation control. The depletion was observed in both asymptomatic individuals and patients with active pulmonary TB, with levels returning to normal only months after completion of treatment, indicating substantial metabolic stress caused by the pathogen.
Data from Tamil Nadu mirrors the scale of the challenge. Under the State's National TB Elimination Programme, 75,702 TB cases were recorded in 2024, with a treatment success rate of around 85 per cent. Case notification rates have risen compared with earlier years, a sign of both improved detection and sustained transmission.
Consolidated figures for 2025 show over 83,900 TB notifications, placing Tamil Nadu ninth among states in overall case load. Health officials attributed the numbers to strengthened surveillance systems alongside persistent disease burden.
The State's TN-KET initiative, aimed at early identification and triaging of critically ill TB patients, contributed to an estimated 20 per cent reduction in early TB deaths in 2024, said officials. Mass screening under the "Nalam Kaakum Stalin" programme, launched in August 2025, has further strengthened active-case finding.
Screening camps conducted across rural and urban areas have identified 595 new TB cases among other chronic conditions.
The metabolic findings from the global study add weight to Tamil Nadu's increasing emphasis on nutritional support as part of TB care.
Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr A Somasundaram said tuberculosis is a debilitating, wasting disease that significantly weakens patients. "For several years, we have been recommending nutrient-rich foods such as eggs, fish and pulses for TB patients. However, as many are unable to afford these foods, the government, in collaboration with NGOs, is supplying pulses and other nutrient-rich products as raw materials. Vitamin supplements are also being provided," he told DT Next.
"Considering the severity of the disease, the government is taking adequate precautionary measures, " he added.
NFHS-derived estimates show that TB prevalence in Tamil Nadu has declined from 337 to 169 per 100,000 population over successive survey rounds.
However, experts caution that a substantial reservoir of infection remains, especially in vulnerable communities where undernutrition and co-morbidities increase risk.
•Metabolic impact before symptoms: TB infection depletes long-chain fatty acids even in asymptomatic individuals, indicating early metabolic disruption.
•Nutrient loss affects immunity: Reduced fatty acids can impair immune response, energy balance and inflammation control.
•High disease burden: Tamil Nadu recorded 75,702 TB cases in 2024; over 83,900 notifications in 2025, ranking ninth nationally in case load.
•Treatment success: The State maintains an approximate 85% treatment success rate under the National TB Elimination Programme.
•Mortality reduction: The TN-KET initiative helped cut early TB deaths by around 20% in 2024 through rapid triaging of severely ill patients.
•Active case finding: Under the "Nalam Kaakum Stalin" mass screening programme, 595 new TB cases were detected in health camps.
•Nutrition support measures:
•Supply of pulses and nutrient-rich products through government–NGO collaboration
•Provision of vitamin supplements to TB patients
•Continued recommendation of eggs, fish and protein-rich foods
•Prevalence decline but risk persists: TB prevalence has fallen from 337 to 169 per 100,000 population, yet undernutrition and co-morbidities remain key risk factors.
•Policy implication: Integrating antibiotic therapy with sustained nutritional and metabolic support is critical to accelerating TB elimination.