Vitamin B(6) improves blood parameters in rats fed a protein-deficient diet and subjected to moderate, long-term exercise

Vitamin B(6) is necessary for many enzymatic pathways (glucose and lipid metabolism, DNA/RNA synthesis, or modulation of gene expression) and affects immune cell function and blood-forming processes. We hypothesised that supplementing a protein-deficient diet with vitamin B(6) may reduce the negative impact of protein malnutrition. Here, we evaluated the effect of moderate, long-term exercise (ninety days) on selected blood parameters in rats fed a normal diet, a protein-deficient diet, or a protein-deficient diet supplemented with vitamin B(6). Selected haematological, immunological, and biochemical parameters were examined. A protein-deficient diet lasting 90 days caused significant reduction in body mass, increased activity of aminotransferases (asparagine and alanine), an increased percentage of innate cells in the blood, and decreased haemoglobin concentration in the blood. Adding vitamin B(6) significantly increased body and muscle mass, decreased liver parameters, and caused normalisation of haemoglobin concentration and the proportion of white blood cells in the blood. These results indicate that vitamin B(6) supplementation significantly improves the health of protein-malnourished rats and paves the way for the development of novel anti-malnutrition therapies.