Pro-inflammatory cytokines of rheumatoid arthritis reduced by Vitamin B6

We're always on the lookout for physiological agents that have the potential to calm the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines when they are elevated in autoimmune disease. An exciting finding was reported in a paper just published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

"The purpose of this study was to investigate whether vitamin B6 supplementation had a beneficial effect on inflammatory and immune responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)."

The control group of patients was given 5 mg/day of folic acid only while the study group was given 100 mg/day of vitamin B6 in addition for 12 weeks. Indicators of inflammation (C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and lymphocyte subsets were measured on day 1 (week 0) and after 12 weeks (week 12) of the intervention.At the end of twelves the data painted this picture:

"In the group receiving vitamin B6, plasma IL-6 and TNF-α levels significantly decreased at week 12. Plasma IL-6 level remained significantly inversely related to plasma PLP (pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, B6) after adjusting for confounders."

The bottom line conclusion is worth bearing in mind when evaluating any autoimmune disorder because underlying causal factors are similar regardless of the specific tissue under attack:

"A large dose of vitamin B6 supplementation (100 mg/day) suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (that is, IL-6 and TNF-α) in patients with RA."