Effects of vitamin and mineral supplementation in the treatment of chagas disease: perceptions from studies in animals and humans
Abstract
It is estimated that there are at least one million people infected with T. cruzi in Brazil. The clinical treatment of this pathology should be done with dietary guidance, anti-inflammatory foods, esophageal washings with a probe, and the use of esophageal mucosal protectors, and depending on the case, with the aid of medication. Thus, this study aims to describe how nutritional therapeutic measures can contribute to the clinical improvement of patients diagnosed with Chagas disease. It is an integrative review, with a high-sensitivity search. The article selection occurred between April 2023 and December 2023 in the following databases: Medline (PubMed), EMBASE (Elsevier), and Virtual Health Library (BVS). During the searches, 339 articles were identified, with 179 in MEDLINE via PUBMED, 100 in EMBASE, and 61 in BVS. After exclusions for duplication and not addressing the theme, 13 articles remained for full analysis. It was observed that the supplementation of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components demonstrated a beneficial effect in parasitic diseases, reducing oxidative stress in the acute and chronic phases of the disease, improving the antiparasitic effect of the treatment, modulating immune and oxidative responses involved in the international and cardiac disorders caused by the infection, as well as, a favorable improvement in lipid and inflammatory profile. It was concluded that the most cited nutrient was Selenium, however, there is a small amount of available studies tested in humans and there is still no defined methodology on the supplementation of vitamins and/or minerals, but that these exert their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory role, reducing the adverse effects of the pathology.
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