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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #291023

Title: Vitamin B6: a challenging link between nutrition and inflammation in cardiovasular disease

Author
item LOTTO, VALENTINO - University Of Verona
item CHOI, SANG-WOON - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item FRISO, SIMONETTA - University Of Verona

Submitted to: British Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/13/2011
Publication Date: 7/15/2011
Citation: Lotto, V., Choi, S., Friso, S. 2011. Vitamin B6: a challenging link between nutrition and inflammation in cardiovasular disease. British Journal of Nutrition. 106:183-195.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective of the present review is to highlight the relationship between low vitamin B6 status and cardiovascular disease (CVD) through its link with inflammation. While overt vitamin B6 deficiency is uncommon in clinical practice, increasing evidence suggests that mild vitamin B6 deficiency is rather frequent in a consistent portion of the population and is related to an increased risk of inflammation-related diseases. Ample evidence substantiates the theory of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory disease, and low plasma vitamin B6 concentrations have been related to increased cardiovascular disease risk. Several studies have also shown that low vitamin B6 status is associated with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, both of which hold an underlying chronic inflammatory condition. Furthermore, the inverse association observed between inflammation markers and vitamin B6 supports the notion that inflammation may represent the common link between low vitamin B6 status and CVD risk. In addition to the epidemiological evidence, there are a number of cell culture and animal studies that suggest several possible mechanisms relating impaired vitamin B6 status with chronic inflammation. A mild vitamin B6 deficiency characterizes, in most cases, a subclinical at-risk condition in inflammatory-linked diseases which should be addressed for an appropriate individually-tailored nutritional preventive or therapeutic strategy.