Vitamin that Boosts Immune System Against COVID-19, New Research Suggests

According to studies, vitamin B6 may have a role in avoiding cytokine storms in COVID-19 patients.

Vitamin that boosts immune system against COVID-19. (Photo: Anadolu Agency)

Benefits of the Vitamin B6

In a recently published article in PSYBLOG, the immune system benefits of vitamins C and D, as well as minerals like magnesium and zinc, have gotten a lot of attention, but there hasn’t been much research on vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6 is an important ingredient that belongs to the B vitamin family. B vitamins are water-soluble, which means they can’t be stored in the body, therefore we get them through food and supplements. Beef, salmon, bananas, whole grains, chickpeas, soya beans, sweet potatoes, almonds, and milk are all high in vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6 seems to have the potential to decrease the risk of cytokine storms by boosting immune function and suppressing inflammation, according to recent research. Vitamin B6 reduces inflammasome activity, carbonyl stress, and oxidative stress, which protects against long-term health problems including diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Vitamin B6 deficiency, on the other hand, would cause impaired immune function, an increased risk of viral infection, and a greater CVD mortality rate.

View from the Author

Dr. Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee, the study’s first author, said: “In addition to washing your hands, food and nutrition are among the first lines of defense against COVID-19 virus infection. Food is our first medicine and the kitchen is our first pharmacy. Recently, many scientists have published papers regarding the role of diet and nutrients in the protection against COVID-19. However, very few scientists are paying attention to the important role of vitamin B6.”

Inflammation and lung damage are the primary consequences of respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2. Supplementing with antioxidants like N-acetylcysteine and carnosine has been proven to help with lung damage. By utilizing its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties against the COVID-19 virus, oral vitamin B6 seems to have comparable positive effects on lung damage.

The presence of cytokine storms and thrombosis, according to Dr. Kumrungsee, is linked to the severity of COVID-19 infection. When the immune system overreacts and assaults healthy cells, cytokine storms or hyper-inflammation occur.

COVID-19 sufferers’ thrombosis, or blood clots, cause severe damage to organs including the liver, heart, kidneys, and lungs. Vitamin B6, on the other hand, is recognized to have anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic properties.