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TOPLINE:

In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), higher disability scores were associated with lower levels of vitamin B6; however, endurance exercise resulted in an increase in levels of vitamins B6 and B2 in patients with greater disability, a secondary analysis of a new trial showed.

METHODOLOGY:

• A total of 106 individuals with MS participated in a randomised controlled trial (2020-2022). Serum concentrations of various B vitamins and related metabolites were analysed in 99 participants before and after a 3-week intervention.
• Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive a combination of endurance exercise and educational intervention; one group received high-intensity interval training plus inpatient energy management education and the other received moderate-intensity continuous training plus progressive muscle relaxation.
• Participants were divided into two groups on the basis of their Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score: Those with an EDSS score ≥ 4.5 (n = 47; greater disability) and those with an EDSS score < 4 (n = 52; lesser disability).

TAKEAWAY:

• The greater disability group had 33.9% lower baseline concentrations of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), a B6 vitamer, than the lesser disability group (P = .007).
• Higher EDSS scores were associated with lower serum concentrations of PLP (P = .011).
• Significant interactions were observed between the time and the EDSS group for PLP (P = .011), pyridoxal (B6 vitamer; P = .005), and riboflavin (B2 vitamer; P = .008). Levels of these vitamers increased significantly after exercise in the greater disability group compared with those in the lesser disability group.

IN PRACTICE:

"This investigation sheds light on the understudied role of B vitamins in people with MS," the authors wrote. "It should further be investigated whether B-vitamin supplementation may offer therapeutic benefits in counteracting progressing disease mechanisms in different stages of MS," they added. "Exercise as a therapeutic intervention appears to induce changes in distinct B-vitamin concentrations, supporting further research on their potential therapeutic effects," they concluded.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Sergen Belen, Institute of Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany. It was published online on April 17 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

LIMITATIONS:

This study relied on serum concentrations, limiting conclusions about levels of vitamin B in other tissues or the cerebrospinal fluid. The study lacked data on dietary intake during the intervention. Additionally, confounding factors such as differing or abnormal renal function may have influenced serum concentrations of vitamin B.

DISCLOSURES:

The randomised controlled trial was funded by the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Society. Two authors reported being paid employees of Bevital AS.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.