Is vitamin B6 toxic?
You may have heard of vitamin B6 being in the spotlight lately, as an overdose can cause peripheral neuropathy. The symptoms of this include numbness and pain in the limbs and healing can be slow. An overdose usually occurs when someone is taking multiple supplements, or food products that have added B6.
But the answer is not as simple as limiting B6, let me explain.
Different forms of vitamin B6
There are different forms of B6, just like there are different types of dwellings: caravans, bungalows and houses. Imagine you live in a caravan and a storm causes it to roll down the road and hit a tree, causing the rain water to come pouring through the roof. There, in the middle of the night, in rain and wind, your neighbour offers shelter in their house. It would be crazy to decide as a result of this that all types of dwellings are unsafe.
The main forms of Vitamin B6 are Pyridoxine, Pyridoxamine, and Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P5P). Pyridoxine has been shown to cause peripheral neuropathy, whilst P5P is actually protective against it.
The problem with the B6 supplementation arises due to very little distinction between these different forms by the governing body in Australia (aka we don’t distinguish between the different types of dwellings, as they have been shown to be unsafe). This is seen in the labelling requirements on a B6 supplement, where B6 must be listed as the equivalent dose of Pyridoxine, even if it doesn’t contain that form of B6.
Vitamin B6 research
A recent European study has found that even a low dose of Pyridoxine can cause nervous system issues in some people, however, Pyridoxamine, and P5P have been studied to find that they can heal the nervous system.
So, firstly aim to get your B vitamins from meat (red, white and fish), and if you do choose to supplement, make sure you check the form of B6, and always choose Pyridoxamine, or P5P. If you would like a safe B vitamin supplement, Whole Naturopathy can help with that, or if you’re suffering peripheral neuropathy as a result of a Pyridoxine overdose, I have successfully treated that and would be happy to help you heal.
