I was shocked to learn that Vitamin B6 is a nerve toxin. And that it does not even pass the basic test to be a vitamin, because B6 deficiency does not cause any disease condition. I list 8 sources, and my own experiences.
The UK advises the upper limit of B6 is as low as 10 mg.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/
—start nhs.uk quote—
What happens if I take too much vitamin B6?
When taking a supplement, it’s important not to take too much.
Taking 200mg or more a day of vitamin B6 [LK2] can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs known as peripheral neuropathy.
This will usually improve once you stop taking the supplements.
But in a few cases when people have taken large amounts of vitamin B6, particularly for more than a few months, the effect can be permanent.
The effect of taking vitamin B6 at doses between 10 and 200 mg is unclear. So there’s not enough evidence to say how long these doses could be taken for safely.
What does the Department of Health and Social Care advise?
You should be able to get the vitamin B6 you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.
If you take vitamin B6 supplements, do not take too much as this could be harmful.
Do not take more than 10mg of vitamin B6 a day in supplements unless advised to by a doctor.”
—end uk advice—
What is B6? An alcohol. It does not fit the definition of a vitamin, because it does not heal any deficiency disease.
Deficiency of B6 is almost unheard of in North America.
Deficiency of B6 is claimed to exist only in starving children in Africa, which seems suspicious when there are such cofactors as starvation.
What causes deficiencies? End stage kidney disease, or alcoholism, or drugs.
Do we need to supplement? No. B6 is in all food sources.
What is the RDA? 1.5 mg.
What is the upper limit? 10 mg to 21 mg to 100 mg
What are the toxic results at the upper limits? NERVE DAMAGE AT 200 MG, 500 mg, and 1000 mg.
Why is the USA “upper limit” so close to the nerve damage limit? They don’t say.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
The RDA is 1.5 mg.
The highest food sources are:
Chickpeas, canned, 1 cup 1.1 mg
Beef liver, pan fried, 3 ounces 0.9 mg
Tuna, yellowfin, fresh, cooked, 3 ounces 0.9 mg
Salmon, sockeye, cooked, 3 ounces 0.6 mg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6#History
“In 1934, the Hungarian physician Paul György discovered a substance that was able to cure a skin disease in rats (dermatitis acrodynia).”
What is Acrodynia?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrodynia
“Acrodynia is a condition of pain and dusky pink discoloration in the hands and feet most often seen in children chronically exposed to heavy metals, especially mercury.”
Mercury toxicity IS NOT a vitamin deficiency!
Therefore, there is no true B6 deficiency!
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional
“Groups at Risk of Vitamin B6 Inadequacy
Frank vitamin B6 deficiencies are relatively rare in the United States”
Vitamin B6 and Health
–basically, not proven to do anything useful.
B6 as nerve toxin:
“However, chronic administration of 1–6 g oral pyridoxine per day for 12–40 months can cause severe and progressive sensory neuropathy characterized by ataxia (loss of control of bodily movements) [10,30-33].”
B6 is far more toxic than copper sulfate, a nerve healer.
Other nerve healers, such as B12, B1 and B2, have no upper limits!
Why is 50 mg of B6 (a nerve toxin) a standard in “high quality” B Complex vitamins?
Why is 50 mg of copper sulfate (a nerve healer) such a radical concept?
The upper limits of B6 in the USA is 100 mg. You can get that in 2 B Complex pills.
The upper limits in other nations are as low as 10-24 mg(!), half the dose in a single B complex dose.
In the Netherlands, it’s 21 mg, maximum dose!
“The Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb received over 100 reports of neuropathy related complaints after use of freely available dietary supplements containing vitamin B6.”
We found 30 mg of “vitamin” B6 in our “Ultra Mag” supplement containing 5 forms of magnesium. We thought that “a B vitamin” was not a problem. But, it is. The company added it for “heart health”, supposedly, but there is no evidence that B6 supports heart health according to the NIH.
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-B6
“Function
Vitamin B6 must be obtained from the diet because humans cannot synthesize it. “
“Deficiency is seen among alcoholics, and people with end stage kidney disease.”
“Deficiency can manifest as internal mouth sores, or at the corners of the lips.”
“Safety
Toxicity
Because adverse effects have only been documented from vitamin B6 supplements and never from food sources, safety concerning only the supplemental form of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is discussed. Although vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is excreted in the urine, long-term supplementation with very high doses of pyridoxine may result in painful neurological symptoms known as sensory neuropathy. Symptoms include pain and numbness of the extremities and in severe cases, difficulty walking. Sensory neuropathy typically develops at doses of pyridoxine in excess of 1,000 mg per day. However, there have been a few case reports of individuals who developed sensory neuropathies at doses of less than 500 mg daily over a period of months.”
“Because placebo-controlled studies have generally failed to show therapeutic benefits of high doses of pyridoxine, there is little reason to exceed the UL of 100 mg/day.”
In other words, mega doses do not work, and carry risk of nerve damage.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-Consumer/
“Can vitamin B6 be harmful?
People almost never get too much vitamin B6 from food or beverages. But taking high levels of vitamin B6 from supplements for a year or longer can cause severe nerve damage, leading people to lose control of their bodily movements. The symptoms usually stop when they stop taking the supplements. Other symptoms of too much vitamin B6 include painful, unsightly skin patches, extreme sensitivity to sunlight, nausea, and heartburn.”
And all forms of B6 are equally bad.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megavitamin-B6_syndrome
“Symptoms may also be dependent on the form of vitamin B6 taken in supplements.[24][34] It has been proposed that vitamin B6 in supplements should be in pyridoxal or pyridoxal phosphate form [pyridoxal phosphate is p5p] rather than pyridoxine as these are thought to reduce the likelihood of toxicity.[24][35] A tissue culture study, however, showed that all B6vitamers that could be converted into active coenzymes (pyridoxal, pyridoxine and pyridoxamine) were neurotoxic at similar concentrations.[19][36] It has been shown, in vivo, that supplementing with pyridoxal or pyridoxal phosphate [p5p] increases pyridoxine concentrations in humans, meaning there are metabolic pathways from each vitamer of B6 to the all other forms.[37][38]“
Signs and Symptoms:
“The predominant symptom is peripheral sensory neuropathy[23][4][6][24] that is experienced as numbness, pins-and-needles and burning sensations (paresthesia) in a patient’s limbs on both sides of their body.[14][4][13][15] Patients may experience unsteadiness of gait, incoordination (ataxia),[15][25][4][26] involuntary muscle movements (choreoathetosis)[10] the sensation of an electric zap in their bodies (Lhermitte’s sign),[15] a heightened sensitivity to sense stimuli including photosensitivity (hyperesthesia),[4][25] impaired skin sensation (hypoesthesia),[27][14] numbness around the mouth,[27][3] and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and heartburn.[25][28] The ability to sense vibrations and to sense one’s position are diminished to a greater degree than pain or temperature.[27][3]Skin lesions have also been reported.[25][26][29][28] Megavitamin-B6 syndrome may also contribute to burning mouth syndrome.[30][31] Potential psychiatric symptoms range from anxiety, depression, agitation, and cognitive deficits to psychosis.[32]“
In the UK, the upper limit is 10 mg/day. !!!
Many B complex Vitamins in the USA have from 50mg to 100 mg!
Why is a known nerve toxin at 50 mg considered “normal”?
But copper, a known nerve healer, at 50 mg, considered “excessive”?
Important thought questions to consider:
Many vitamins and minerals have no upper limit, or the upper limit is 10,000 times higher than the RDA. This is not the case with B6.
Where are the B6 advocates? To my knowledge, it is used to “detoxify” or “lower toxic copper”. B6 may well actually lower copper, but most toxins lower copper. This is more evidence of the toxicity of B6.
Based on my research, I stopped taking B complex vitamins, specifically to avoid 50 mg B6. I also stopped taking my ultra magnesium supplement, which had a high amount of B6.
Instead, I have had to start taking B vitamins individually. So far, I have only settled on taking 6 of them.
B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, and B12 I decided to take semi-regularly.
how about niacinamide instead of the niacin?
Sure, your body can make it.
It doesn’t mean it does.
Estrogen and B6 deff direct tryptophan metabolism away from making B3. You can look this up – it’s there.
B6 deff is more common that what you think – it’s a problem where it is high in blood, but low inside cells. It happens in hypophosphatasia and this is not as rare as the nets have it be.
It also happens to many that have ill health.
And no, supplementing doesn’t work for it, because it just ends up piling up more in the blood, and it still doesn’t get into tissues. Correcting your metabolic problem can normalize this distribution.
Katerina Dalton worked with the UK government to set a limit to B6 supplements, I think it was either 10 or 20 mg a day, a few decades ago, based on her experiences treating women with it. Why did the government decide to change that again in more recent times? I am not sure.
Same with tryptophan, it was banned as a supplement in the.. 80s. Now it is back on the market…
Do you have any more info on vitamins B2 & B3? They are recommended with the iodine protocol.