A new study has identified a significant connection between vitamin B12 deficiency and chronic inflammation, a condition associated with various health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, this research focused on investigating the effects of vitamin B12 levels on two key inflammatory markers in both humans and mice.
While previous research hinted at vitamin B12’s potential anti-inflammatory properties, the precise relationship was not fully understood.
The study aimed to assess the effects of vitamin B12 on the levels of two inflammatory molecules in the body that promote inflammation, specifically interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP).
Understanding how vitamin B12 status influences inflammation could have significant implications for disease prevention and management.
The researchers examined samples from a randomized subset of participants in the PREDIMED clinical trial, conducted in Spain, which assessed the impact of the Mediterranean diet on preventing cardiovascular disease.
They measured serum levels of vitamin B12 and concentrations of inflammatory markers, revealing a correlation between vitamin B12 levels and inflammatory markers.
Key Findings: Inverse Relationship between Vitamin B12 and Inflammatory Markers
The study found an inverse relationship between vitamin B12 levels and inflammatory markers. In other words, individuals with higher levels of vitamin B12 had lower levels of these inflammatory markers.
This discovery holds potential clinical relevance and could lead to novel therapeutic strategies.
Implications and Future Research
The researchers emphasized that while they did not specifically examine individuals with vitamin B12 deficiency in this study, the findings raise important questions.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is known to have harmful effects, and this novel relationship may help explain some unexplained symptoms associated with deficiency, such as neurologic defects.
To validate these findings within the general population, the researchers plan to expand their cohorts, investigate sex-specific differences, and explore specific conditions like infection, obesity, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Future research aims to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms of the inverse correlation between vitamin B12 and inflammatory markers, potentially leading to dietary and clinical recommendations.
The study also noted intriguing differences between humans and mice regarding vitamin B12 deficiency and aging, suggesting the potential for mouse models to inform strategies for preventing B12 deficiency in older humans.
If you care about inflammation, please read studies about the big cause of inflammation in common bowel disease, and new cancer treatments may reawaken the immune system.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about new way to halt excessive inflammation, and results showing foods that could cause inflammation.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
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