Alternative Health Blog

In a randomized, controlled study involving 35 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), results indicate that supplementation with vitamin B6 may exert a beneficial effect on inflammatory responses. The patients were randomized to 5 mg/day folic acid (control group, n=15) or 5 mg/day folic acid + 100 mg/day vitamin B6, for a period of 12 weeks. At intervention end, significant decreases in plasma IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were observed in the vitamin B6 group. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, "A large dose of vitamin B(6) supplementation (100 mg/day) suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (that is, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) in patients with RA."   Reference:    "Vitamin B(6) supplementation improves pro-inflammatory responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis," Huang SC, Huang YC, et al, Eur J Clin Nutr, 2010 Jun 23; [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: School of Nutrition, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan).