Does a lack of vitamins B12, B6 or folic acid have an effect on arthritis?
A lack of B vitamins, including folic acid, B6 and B12, is not known to have an effect on arthritis. Low vitamin levels are not a recognized cause or trigger for arthritis. Taking extra B vitamins is not known to be an effective arthritis treatment. However, with more than 100 types of arthritis, there could be important effects of B vitamins on arthritis that we do not yet understand. In addition, there are some important connections between these vitamins and arthritis: • People with rheumatoid arthritis tend to have lower blood levels of B vitamins (especially B6 and B12) than people without this disease. • People with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus have a greater risk of heart disease. An elevated level of homocysteine may be a contributor to this risk. B vitamin therapy (especially folic acid) can reduce homocysteine levels. • Rheumatoid arthritis is often treated with methotrexate, a drug that blocks the action of folic acid. That’s why doctors often recommend folic acid suppleme
