Vitamin B6 Deficiency May Exacerbate Arthritis Symptoms

With no cure and a limited number of treatment options, many people living with arthritis turn to natural treatments to help ease their symptoms. One vitamin that has shown some promise as a potential arthritis treatment is vitamin B6 as some studies have linked deficient vitamin B6 levels with a higher degree of joint inflammation and pain in arthritis sufferers.

A study, published in The American Journal of Medicine in 2003 found that in a group of 37 rheumatoid arthritis patients, low vitamin B6 status was associated with higher disability scores, more morning stiffness, and a greater degree of arthritis pain compared to those with higher levels of the vitamin.

Vitamin B6 is believed to reduce the severity of arthritis symptoms through a reduction in inflammation levels in the body. A 2010 study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrtion, involved 35 rheumatoid arthritis who were randomized to receive either 5mg of folate a day (control group), or 5mg of folate and 100mg of vitamin B6 (intervention group) over a 12 week period.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found significant reductions in the levels of two inflammatory markers in the vitamin B6 group. Interleukin-6 levels were reduced by an average of 7.0% while TNF-alpha levels were reduced by 4.2% on average. No significant changes were observed in the control group.

The current RDA for vitamin B6 is 1.3mg for adults aged 19-50. For adults over 50, the RDA’s are 1.5mg to 1.7mg for women and men respectively although arthritis sufferers could benefit with intakes as high as 50mg per day. The tolerable upper intake (the highest level where side effects would not be expected for most people) for vitamin B6 is 100mg per day although it is extremely unlikely an individual would get close to this amount through dietary sources alone. Most vitamin B6 supplements contain between 50mg and 100mg although there are some on the market than contain as much as 500mg. If you choose to take more than 100mg of vitamin B6 a day, be aware of symptoms of toxicity such as nausea, poor coordination, a persistent fever, and numbness, particularly in the hands and legs.

Good dietary sources of vitamin B6 include (mg per serving in brackets): beef liver (1.3mg), tuna (1.18mg), pistachio nuts (1.0mg), bananas (0.68mg), spinach (0.44mg), garlic (0.35mg), red peppers (0.23mg), and sunflower seeds (0.2mg).