Vitamin B6 Usage

Read more about Cervical Cancer and Vitamin B6.

More than 25 years ago, researchers noted that people with carpal tunnel syndrome seemed to be deficient in vitamin B6.² This led to widespread use of B6 as a treatment for carpal tunnel....

Read more about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Vitamin B6.

The results of a large double-blind, placebo-controlled study suggest that vitamin B 6 at a dose of 30 mg daily may be helpful for treating nausea in pregnancy (morning sickness). ¹ Vitamin B 6 has been proposed for numerous other uses as well, but without much (if any) scientific substantiation. For example, the two most famous uses of vitamin B 6 , carpal tunnel syndrome and premenstrual syndrome PMS , have no reliable supporting evidence at all, and the best-designed studies found it ineffectivefor either of these purposes. ² Higher intake of vitamin B 6 reduces the level of homocysteine in the blood, a substance that might accelerate cardiovascular disease (heart disease, strokes, and related conditions.) However, there is as yet no meaningful evidence that reducing homocysteine is beneficial, and considerable evidence that it is not. See the full Homocysteine article for more information.

A series of studies suggests that vitamin B 6 may be helpful for the treatment of TD. In the first study, a 4-week, double-blind crossover trial of 15 people, treatment with vitamin B 6 significantly improved TD symptoms as compared to placebo. ³ Benefits were seen beginning at 1 week of treatment. The subsequent follow-up study tested the benefits of vitamin B 6 used over a period of 26 weeks in 50 people with tardive dyskinesia, and once again the supplement proved more effective than placebo. ⁴ For the following other conditions, current evidence for benefit with vitamin B 6 remains incomplete and/or contradictory: allergy to monosodium glutamate (MSG), asthma , ⁵ depression , ⁶ diabetes of pregnancy , ⁷ HIV infection, ⁸ photosensitivity , ⁹ preventing kidney stones , ^{10 11 12} schizophrenia , ¹³ seborrheic dermatitis , ¹⁴ tardive dyskinesia and other side effects of anti-psychotic drugs , ¹⁵ and vertigo . ¹⁶ Despite some claims in the media, vitamin B 6 has not shown benefit for enhancing mental function . ¹⁷ One study failed to find B 6 at a dose of 50 mg daily helpful for rheumatoid arthritis (despite a general B 6 deficiency seen in people with this condition). ¹⁸ Vitamin B 6 , alone or in combination with magnesium , showed some early promise for the treatment of autism , but the best designed studies failed to find it effective. ¹⁹ Additionally, current evidence suggests that vitamin B 6 is not effectivefor treating diabetic neuropathy ^{20 21} or eczema , ²² or for helping control the side effects of oral contraceptives . ²³