Vitamin B6 is one of the B vitamins which is an essential nutrient for humans. According to Mayo Clinic, Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) is important for normal brain development and for keeping the nervous system and immune system healthy.
According to a report by Science Alert, there have been several reports about severe reactions in people who’ve taken over-the-counter vitamin B6 supplements. Experts maintain that vitamin B6 poisoning can injure nerves and lead to symptoms including numbness, tingling and even trouble walking and moving.
Reportedly, most people weren’t aware that the product contained vitamin B6.
How much vitamin B6 do you need?
Adults aged 19–50 need 1.3mg of vitamin B6 per day. The recommended dose is lower for teens and children, and higher for those aged 51 and over (1.7mg for men and 1.5mg for women) and people who are breastfeeding or pregnant (1.9mg).
Most people are able to get vitamin B6 largely from animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs. The vitamin is also available in a range of different plant foods, including spinach, kale, bananas and potatoes, so deficiency is rare, even for vegetarians and vegans.
Despite being readily available in the diet, vitamin B6 is also widely included in various supplements, multivitamins and other products, such as Berocca and energy drinks, Science Alert reported.
What happens when you take too many vitamin B6?
Although vitamin B6 toxicity is extremely rare, certain genetic disorders or disease that stops nutrient absorption (such as coeliac disease) can cause it. When excessive vitamin B6 accumulates in the blood it can cause a condition called peripheral neuropathy.
The most common symptoms are numbness and tingling, though in some cases patients may experience difficulty with balance or walking, Science Alert reported. Vitamin B6 can cause permanent damage to nerves. Several studies highlight that the symptoms improved when the person stopped taking the supplement, although they didn’t completely resolve.
Toxicity usually occurs only when people take supplements with high doses of B6. Until 2022, only products with more than 50mg of vitamin B6 were required to display a warning about peripheral neuropathy. But the Therapeutic Goods Administration lowered this and now requires any product containing more than 10mg of vitamin B6 to carry a warning.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has also halved the daily upper limit of vitamin B6 a product can provide – from 200mg to 100mg. According to the administration, These changes followed a review by the administration, after receiving 32 reports of peripheral neuropathy in people taking supplements. Two thirds of these people were taking less than 50mg of vitamin B6.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration acknowledges the risk varies between individuals and a lot is unknown. Its review could not identify a minimum dose, duration of use or patient risk factors.
Experts warn that it is important to always check the label if you are taking a new medicine or supplement, especially if it hasn’t been explicitly prescribed by a health-care professional.