Heart failure patients have high rates of B-vitamin deficiency. - GreenMedInfo Summary
B-vitamin deficiency in hospitalized patients with heart failure.
J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Aug;109(8):1406-10. PMID: 19631047
Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [email protected]
The impact of heart failure and its treatment on specific nutrient requirements is unknown. Furthermore, depletion of water-soluble B vitamins that play key roles in the production of cellular energy in patients with heart failure can contribute to depletion of energy reserves observed in the failing heart. A cross-sectional study recently reported that approximately one third of hospitalized patients with heart failure had tissue levels suggestive of thiamin deficiency (vitamin B-1). Riboflavin (vitamin B-2) and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) are similar to thiamin in that they are water-soluble, subject to renal excretion, have limited tissue storage, and are dependent on intake. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the status of these B vitamins may also be adversely affected by heart failure. As a result, the prevalence of patients at risk of vitamin B-2 (erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient>or = 1.2) and B-6 deficiency (plasma B-6