The effect of vitamin B6 on inflammation was investigated in randomized controlled trial of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 35 patients were randomly allocated to receive either 5 mg folic acid only, or 100 mg vitamin B6 plus 5 mg folic acid daily for 12 weeks. The following parameters were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks: Plasma pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP), serum folate, inflammatory parameters (hs-CRP, ESR, IL-6, TNF-alpha), and immune parameters (WBC count, total lymphocytes, T-cells (CD3), B-cells (CD19), T-helper cells (CD4), and T-suppressor cells(CD8)). In the vitamin B6 group, plasma IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels significantly decreased at week 12. There were no significant changes with respect to immune responses in either group, except for the percentage of total lymphocytes in the vitamin B(6) group compared to baseline. Plasma IL-6 levels were significantly inversely related to plasma PLP after adjusting for confounders (P=0.01). High dose vitamin B6 suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha in patients with RA. (Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Sep;64(9):1007-13.) PMID: 20571496.
