Vitamin B6
Major Functions
Metabolism of nutrients - Synthesis of red blood cells and neurotransmitters - Mood regulation
In every dose
30mg (equal to 9oz tuna steak or 3 cups of chickpeas)
Fighting Talk
Vitamin B6 is key in metabolising homocysteine - which is important as elevated levels have been associated with higher risks of depression, psychiatric disorders, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
What’s in it for my brain?
Vitamin B6 is key in metabolising homocysteine - which is important as elevated levels have been associated with higher risks of depression, psychiatric disorders, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Fringe benefits
Essential for energy release from food
Essential for haemoglobin formation
Plays well with
Iron and B6 work together to form haemoglobin, so it’s important to consume both.
Clever stuff
Vitamin B6 may help to improve brain function and even prevent Alzheimer’s disease; one clinical trial found that vitamin supplementation with folic acid, B6 and B12 slowed shrinking of the brain over two years in areas of the brain that are associated with cognitive decline.
Evidence
Here’s a handful of relevant scientific studies on vitamin B6.
Hvas, A. M., Juul, S., Bech, P., & Nexø, E. (2004). Vitamin B6 level is associated with symptoms of depression. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 73(6), 340-343.
Folstein, M., Liu, T., Peter, I., Buel, J., Arsenault, L., Scott, T., & Qiu, W. W. (2007). The homocysteine hypothesis of depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(6), 861-867.
Herrmann, W., Lorenzl, S., & Obeid, R. (2007). Review of the role of hyperhomocysteinemia and B-vitamin deficiency in neurological and psychiatric disorders--current evidence and preliminary recommendations. Fortschritte der Neurologie-psychiatrie, 75(9), 515-527.
Nutt, D. J. (2008). Relationship of neurotransmitters to the symptoms of major depressive disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 69, 4-7.
Clayton, P. T. (2006). B 6-responsive disorders: a model of vitamin dependency. Journal of inherited metabolic disease, 29(2-3), 317-326.
Douaud, G., Refsum, H., de Jager, C. A., Jacoby, R., Nichols, T. E., Smith, S. M., & Smith, A. D. (2013). Preventing Alzheimer’s disease-related gray matter atrophy by B-vitamin treatment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(23), 9523-9528.