Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is an extraordinarily important substance, as it is involved in numerous bodily processes. Vitamin B6 plays a role in energy metabolism, digestion, and brain function.

Vitamin B6 is also recommended for discomfort related to menstruation, as it contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity.

NEW INFORMATION (12-2-2018):

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has set a date for the legal maximum for vitamin B6. From 1st October 2018, the maximum daily dosage will be 21 mg vitamin B6, regardless of the form used. There will be no distinction made between pyridoxine or the co-enzymatic pyridoxal-5 phosphate (P-5-P).

Additionally, from 1st October, a mandatory warning text for children must be included on all labels of supplements containing vitamin B6. New labels will feature the warnings below.

• If the product contains a maximum of 3 mg vitamin B6 per daily dosage:
  This dietary supplement is not suitable for children under 1 year old.
• If the product contains more than 3 mg vitamin B6 per daily dosage and in deviation from the previous point: This dietary supplement is not suitable for children up to and including 3 years old.
• If the product contains more than 5 mg vitamin B6 per daily dosage and in deviation from the previous two points: This dietary supplement is not suitable for children up to and including 10 years old.
• If the product contains more than 7 mg vitamin B6 per daily dosage and in deviation from the previous points: This dietary supplement is not suitable for children up to and including 17 years old.

(End of new information.)

*****

For most people, dosages up to 200 mg per day are completely safe. However, a few individuals may develop neuropathy over time (several months to years) at such doses, which may manifest as tingling in the limbs. This neuropathy is reversible: once intake is stopped, the symptoms disappear. In Europe, a safe upper limit for vitamin B6 has been established at 25 mg per day. This is an extremely cautious upper limit, based on a controversial study. Other authorities have disregarded this study and propose a safe level that is much higher. For instance, the US Food and Nutrition Board and the global expert group IADSA consider 100 mg of vitamin B6 per day to be safe.

Many popular multivitamins contain dosages between 25 and 100 mg of B6 per day, which, according to scientific literature and the experience of countless users, can be considered completely safe.

Since its establishment in 1991, the Lareb (Centre for Drug Side Effects) has only received six reports of individuals experiencing complaints related to dietary supplements containing vitamin B6. It is unclear whether these complaints were related to the intake of vitamin B6; these are merely reports.

Neuropathy can also occur in individuals who do not take any extra vitamin B6. Literature indicates that there is no correlation between the occurrence of this side effect and the level of blood concentration.

When blood tests show that a person has a relatively high B6 level, it does not mean that the person is at risk of developing neuropathy. It simply means that the individual has more B6 in their blood than others. With the use of a dietary supplement, it is not surprising that the amount of B6 is higher than the national average.

Lastly: a DEFICIENCY of vitamin B6 can also lead to neuropathy!

P5P
Vitamin B6 is available in the standard form of pyridoxine HCl and as pyridoxine-5-phosphate (P5P, also known as PLP), the co-enzymatic form of B6. So far, there are no known side effects from products containing P5P.