Vitamin B6 may help in mitigating Covid hyper inflammation, blood clotting

New research has found that vitamin B6 may have the potential to alleviate cytokine storms triggered by the hyperactive immune system after the Covid attack.

Earlier studies have shown the benefits of vitamin D and C and other minerals that can be used to fortify immune response against Covid.

Food scientist Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee carried out the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, to show vitamin B6’s potential in mitigating Covid severity.

“In addition to washing your hands, food and nutrition are among the first lines of defense against Covid virus infection. Food is our first medicine and kitchen is our first pharmacy,” said Kumrungsee, an associate professor at Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life.

“Recently, many scientists have published papers regarding the role of diets and nutrients in the protection against Covid. However, very few scientists are paying attention to the important role of vitamin B6,” she added.

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The team of researchers pointed out in their study that growing evidence shows that vitamin B6 exerts a protective effect against chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. This is done by suppressing inflammation, inflammasomes, oxidative stress, and carbonyl stress.

“Coronaviruses and influenza are among the viruses that can cause lethal lung injuries and death from acute respiratory distress syndrome worldwide. Viral infections evoke a ‘cytokine storm’, leading to lung capillary endothelial cell inflammation, neutrophil infiltration, and increased oxidative stress,” the authors stated in the study.

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Kumrungsee explained that thrombosis (blood clotting) and cytokine storm (hyper inflammation) is closely linked to the graveness of Covid. While Vitamin B6 is a known anti-thrombosis and anti-inflammation nutrient. Deficiency in this vitamin is also associated with lower immune function and higher susceptibility to viral infections.

“Vitamin B6 has a close relationship with the immune system. Its levels always drop in people under chronic inflammation such as obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases. We can see from the news that obese and diabetic people are at high risk for Covid,” said Kumrungsee.

“Thus, our attempt in this paper is to shed light on the possible involvement of vitamin B6 in decreasing the severity of Covid,” she further added.