Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In 2686 patients those considered having adequate vitamin B6 blood levels had a 24% reduced risk of inflammation compared to those with low vitamin B6 levels.
Vitamin B6 contributes to the function of more than 100 enzymes in the body that include metabolism, immune system function, hormone function, iron biosynthesis, and the making of nerve chemicals called neurotransmitters (1). Now a new study (2) has shown that one of the ways that vitamin B6 elicits these healthful benefits is by helping maintain healthy inflammation levels. Defined as “a crucial protective mechanism” that helps repair tissue and protect the body against infection, inflammation is a normal reaction by our immune system to help keep us healthy. But too much inflammation can have disastrous health consequences and lead to heart disease, dementia, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes (3, 4), which cost our healthcare system $448 billion (5), $156 billion (6), $128 billion (7), and $174 billion per year respectively (8).
In the study, researchers looked at levels of vitamin B6 and an inflammatory protein called C-reactive protein in blood samples collected from 2,686 patients who participated in the 2003–2004 National Health And Nutritional Examination Survey (9). The researchers found that when vitamin B6 intake, through both food and supplements, was between 4 and 4.9 mg per day, there was a 24% reduced risk of having C-reactive protein levels greater than 3 mg/Liter, considered high risk for cardiovascular disease (10), compared to those with the lowest vitamin B6 intake of less than 2 mg per day.
When researchers correlated vitamin B6 blood levels with vitamin B6 intake and C-reactive protein, they found that those with vitamin B6 blood levels greater than 20 nanomoles/Liter and B6 intake greater than 5 mg per day, there was a 48% reduced risk of having C-reactive protein levels greater than 3 mg/Liter compared to those consuming less than 2 mg per day.
For the researchers, “higher vitamin B-6 intakes were linked to protection against inflammation.” Although vitamin B6 is found in a wide variety of foods including fortified cereals, beans, meat, poultry, fish, and some fruits and vegetables (11), supplementation has been shown to help increase vitamin B6 blood levels (12), giving little excuse as to being unable to maintaining healthy blood levels of vitamin B6.
Source: Morris, Martha Savaria, et al. “Vitamin B-6 intake is inversely related to, and the requirement is affected by, inflammation status.” The Journal of nutrition 140.1 (2010): 103-110.
© 2010 American Society for Nutrition.
Posted January 11, 2010.
References:
- Merrill AH Jr, Henderson JM. Diseases associated with defects in vitamin B6 metabolism or utilization. Annu Rev Nutr. 1987;7:137–56.
- Morris MS. Vitamin B-6 Intake Is Inversely Related to, and the Requirement Is Affected by, Inflammation Status. J. Nutr. 2010 140: 103-110. First published online January 1, 2010; doi:10.3945/jn.109.114397.
- Gil, Polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory diseases, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy 56 (2002) (8), pp. 388–396.
- I.A. Shiels, S.M. Taylor and D.P. Fairlie, Cell phenotype as a target of drug therapy in chronic inflammatory diseases, Medical Hypotheses 54 (2000) (2), pp. 193–197.
- “Cardiovascular Disease at a Glance” posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- “The Cost of Dementia: $156 billion and rising” posted on the WebMD website.
- Arthritis – Data and Statistics” posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website.
- “Direct and Indirect Costs of Diabetes in the United States” posted on the American Diabetes Association website.
- “2003-2004 NHANES” posted on see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- Morris MS. Trends of Vitamin B6 Status in US Population Sample. Amer Jou Clin Nutr 2008; 87: 1446-1454.
- “C-reactive protein” posted on the Medline Plus website.
- “Vitamin B6” posted on the Office of Dietary Supplements website.
