Vitamin B6 may help ward off COVID-19 cytokine storms

Who would have thought that a small basic compound like vitamin B6 in bananas or fish could be the key to a robust response against COVID-19?

Studies have so far explored the benefits of vitamins D and C and minerals like zinc and magnesium in boosting the immune response against COVID-19. But research on vitamin B6 has been lacking for the most part. Food scientist Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee hopes his article will be published in Nutrition frontiers could be the first step in showing the potential of vitamin B6 to reduce the risk of cytokine storms.

“In addition to hand washing, food and nutrition are among the first lines of defense against infection with the COVID-19 virus. Food is our first medicine and the kitchen is our first pharmacy, ”Kumrungsee, associate professor at the Graduate School of Integrated Life Sciences, said.

“Recently, many scientists have published articles regarding the role of diet and nutrients in protecting against COVID-19. However, very few scientists pay attention to the important role of vitamin B6,” he said. she adds.

In their article, she and her fellow researchers highlighted growing evidence showing that vitamin B6 exerts a protective effect against chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes by suppressing inflammation, inflammasomes, oxidative stress and stress. carbonyl.

Coronaviruses and influenza are among the viruses that can cause fatal lung damage and death from acute respiratory distress syndrome worldwide. Viral infections are reminiscent of a cytokine storm, leading to inflammation of pulmonary capillary endothelial cells, neutrophil infiltration and increased oxidative stress, ”they said.

Kumrungsee explained that thrombosis (blood clotting) and cytokine storm (hyper-inflammation) could be closely related to the severity of COVID-19. Cytokine storms occur when the immune system goes into overdrive and begins to attack even healthy cells. Meanwhile, blood clots linked to COVID-19 can block capillaries, damaging vital organs like the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys.

Vitamin B6 is a known anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory nutrient. A deficiency in this vitamin is also associated with weaker immune function and greater susceptibility to viral infections.

“Vitamin B6 has a close relationship with the immune system. Its levels always drop in people with chronic inflammation like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. We can see from the news that overweight people and diabetics are at high risk for COVID-19, “Kumrungsee said.

“Thus, our attempt in this article is to shed light on the possible involvement of vitamin B6 in decreasing the severity of COVID-19.”

The associate professor said she looked forward to clinical trials that would test their hypothesis.

“It is of great interest to examine whether vitamin B6 exerts protection against new types of viral infections and pneumonia that will arise in the future. At present, there is little information. regarding the protective role of nutrients against pneumonia and lung disease “mentioned.

“After COVID-19, we should develop the field of nutrition for lung diseases such as pneumonia and lung cancer.”