Vitamin B6 can help stop 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 strong reaction against COVID-19?

Studies so far have examined the benefits of vitamins D and C and minerals such as zinc and magnesium to boost the immune response against COVID-19. But research on vitamin B6 is mostly lacking. Food scientist Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee hopes their paper in Limits in nutrition may be the first step in indicating the potential of vitamin B6 to reduce the chance of cytokine storms.

“Apart from washing your hands, food and nutrition are also the first line of defense against COVID-19 virus infection. Food is our first medicine and the kitchen is our first pharmacy,” said Kumrungsee, associate professor at Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Integrated. said. Sciences for Life, said.

“Recently, many scientists have published articles on the role of nutrition and nutrients in the protection against COVID-19. However, very few scientists pay attention to the important role of vitamin B6,” she added.

In their paper, she and her fellow researchers showed growing evidence that vitamin B6 has a protective effect against chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes by suppressing inflammation, inflammation, oxidative stress and carbonyl stress.

“Coronaviruses and influenza are one of the viruses that can cause fatal lung injuries and death from acute respiratory distress syndrome worldwide. Viral infections trigger a cytokine storm, leading to pneumonic endothelial inflammation, neutrophil infiltration and increased oxidative stress,” they said.

Kumrungsee explained that thrombosis (blood clotting) and cytokine storm (hyperinflammation) are closely related to the severity of COVID-19. Cytokine storms occur when the immune system overloads and even attacks healthy cells. Meanwhile, blood clots linked to COVID-19 can block capillaries and damage vital organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.

Vitamin B6 is a well-known nutrient against thrombosis and inflammation. Deficiency of this vitamin is also associated with lower immune function and higher susceptibility to viral infections.

“Vitamin B6 is closely linked to the immune system. Its levels always drop in people with chronic inflammation, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. We can see from the news that obese and diabetic people are at high risk for COVID-19 , ‘Kumrungsee said.

“Our effort in this article is therefore to shed light on the possible involvement of vitamin B6 in reducing the severity of COVID-19.”

The associate professor said she is looking forward to clinical trials that will test their hypothesis.

“It is of great importance to investigate whether vitamin B6 provides protection against new types of viral infections and pneumonia that will occur in the future. There is currently little information on the protective role of nutrients against pneumonia and pneumonia,” she said. said.

“After COVID-19, we need to develop the area of ​​nutrition for lung diseases such as pneumonia and lung cancer.”