Some of vitamin deficiencies may contribute to the severity of inflammatory bowel disease. The disease creates vitamin deficiency, which in turn makes the disease more severe. A study involving 30 male and 31 female patients with inflammatory bowel disease was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology (2003;98(1):112-117). It found that vitamin B6 levels were significantly lower in patients with inflammatory bowel disease than they were in healthy controls. Furthermore, vitamin B6 levels were lower in patients who were experiencing a flare up in their symptoms than they were for patients in remission. Low vitamin B6 levels were also associated with higher levels of what are known as inflammatory markers (these are chemicals that, when present, indicate inflammation) C-reactive protein is an example of an inflammatory marker; it was increased in patients with low B6 levels.
Inflammation and B6 Levels in Patients with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis
