In latest weeks, stories have been circulating about extreme reactions in individuals who’ve taken over-the-counter vitamin B6 dietary supplements.
Vitamin B6 poisoning can injure nerves and result in signs together with numbness, tingling and even bother strolling and shifting.
In some circumstances, these affected did not know the product contained any vitamin B6.
So what’s vitamin B6, the place is it discovered and the way a lot is an excessive amount of? This is what it is advisable to find out about this important nutrient.
What’s vitamin B6?
Vitamin B6 (often known as pyridoxine) is a bunch of six compounds that share the same chemical construction.
It’s an important nutrient, which means we want it for regular physique capabilities, however we won’t produce it ourselves.
Adults aged 19–50 want 1.3mg of vitamin B6 per day. The beneficial dose is decrease for teenagers and youngsters, and better for these aged 51 and over (1.7mg for males and 1.5mg for ladies) and people who find themselves breastfeeding or pregnant (1.9mg).
Most of us get this in our weight loss program – largely from animal merchandise, together with meat, dairy and eggs.
The vitamin can be obtainable in a variety of various plant meals, together with spinach, kale, bananas and potatoes, so deficiency is uncommon, even for vegetarians and vegans.
The vitamin B6 we eat within the weight loss program is inactive, which means the physique cannot use it. To activate B6, the liver transforms it right into a compound referred to as pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP).
On this type, vitamin B6 helps the physique with greater than 140 mobile capabilities, together with constructing and breaking down proteins, producing crimson blood cells, regulating blood sugar and supporting mind perform.
Vitamin B6 is necessary for total well being and has additionally been related to lowered most cancers threat and irritation.
Regardless of being available within the weight loss program, vitamin B6 can be extensively included in varied dietary supplements, multivitamins and different merchandise, reminiscent of Berocca and vitality drinks.
Ought to we be frightened about toxicity?
Vitamin B6 toxicity is extraordinarily uncommon. It virtually by no means happens from dietary consumption alone, except there’s a genetic issues or illness that stops nutrient absorption (reminiscent of coeliac illness).
It is because all eight nutritional vitamins within the B group are water-soluble. In case you eat extra of the vitamin than your physique wants, it may be excreted readily and harmlessly in your urine.
Nonetheless, in some uncommon circumstances, extreme vitamin B6 accumulates within the blood, leading to a situation referred to as peripheral neuropathy. We’re nonetheless undecided why this happens in some individuals however not others.
Peripheral neuropathy happens when the sensory nerves – these outdoors our mind and spinal twine that ship info to the central nervous system – are broken and unable to perform. This may be brought on by a variety of ailments (and is most well-known in sort 2 diabetes).
The most typical signs are numbness and tingling, although in some circumstances sufferers could expertise issue with stability or strolling.
We do not know precisely how extra vitamin B6 causes peripheral neuropathy, however it’s thought to intrude with how the neurotransmitter GABA sends indicators to the sensory nerves.
Vitamin B6 could cause everlasting injury to nerves. Research have proven signs improved when the particular person stopped taking the complement, though they did not fully resolve.
What is taken into account extreme? And has this modified?
Toxicity normally happens solely when individuals take dietary supplements with excessive doses of B6.
Till 2022, solely merchandise with greater than 50mg of vitamin B6 had been required to show a warning about peripheral neuropathy. However the Therapeutic Items Administration lowered this and now requires any product containing greater than 10mg of vitamin B6 to hold a warning.
The Therapeutic Items Administration has additionally halved the each day higher restrict of vitamin B6 a product can present – from 200mg to 100mg.
These modifications adopted a overview by the administration, after receiving 32 stories of peripheral neuropathy in individuals taking dietary supplements. Two thirds of those individuals had been taking lower than 50mg of vitamin B6.
The Therapeutic Items Administration acknowledges the chance varies between people and lots is unknown. Its overview couldn’t establish a minimal dose, length of use or affected person threat components.
⚠️Peripheral neuropathy with supplementary vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)⚠️
The TGA has strengthened labelling necessities so merchandise containing each day doses over 10mg of vitamin B6 should carry a warning about peripheral neuropathy.
Learn extra: https://t.co/WOmKtEYLtx pic.twitter.com/ByNIFwK2SG
— TGA Australia (@TGAgovau) October 5, 2022
However I believed B nutritional vitamins had been good for me?
An excessive amount of of something could cause issues.
The up to date pointers are more likely to considerably decrease the chance of toxicity. Additionally they make customers extra conscious of which merchandise include B6, and the dangers.
The Therapeutic Items Administration will proceed to observe proof and revise pointers if vital.
Whereas vitamin B6 toxicity stays very uncommon, there are nonetheless many questions on why some individuals get peripheral neuropathy with decrease dose dietary supplements.
It may very well be that some particular vitamin B compounds have a stronger impact, or some individuals could have genetic vulnerabilities or ailments which put them at larger threat.
So what ought to I do?
Most individuals needn’t actively search vitamin B6 in dietary supplements.
Nonetheless, many stories to the Therapeutic Items Administration had been of vitamin B6 being added to dietary supplements labelled as magnesium or zinc – and a few weren’t conscious they had been consuming it.
You will need to all the time examine the label in case you are taking a brand new medication or complement, particularly if it hasn’t been explicitly prescribed by a health-care skilled.
Be notably cautious in case you are taking a number of dietary supplements. Whereas one multivitamin is unlikely to trigger a problem, including a magnesium complement for cramping, or a zinc complement for chilly and flu signs, could trigger an extreme vitamin B6 dose over time, and enhance your threat.
Importantly, take note of signs which will point out peripheral neuropathy, reminiscent of pins and needles, numbness, or ache within the toes or fingers, in the event you do change or add a complement.
Most significantly, in the event you want recommendation, it’s best to discuss to your physician, dietitian or pharmacist.
Vasso Apostolopoulos, Distinguished Professor, Professor of Immunology, RMIT College and Jack Feehan, Vice Chancellors Senior Analysis Fellow in Immunology, RMIT College
This text is republished from The Dialog underneath a Artistic Commons license. Learn the unique article.
