Vitamin B6

Overall Health Benefits

• Lowers risk of heart disease [1-4]
• Boosts immune function [5-6]
• Lowers blood pressure [7-10]
• Helps lose weight [11-12]
• Accelerates wound healing [13]
• Prevents cancer [14-16]
• Boosts brain power [17-19]
• Prevents age-related blindness [20]

Proven Health Benefits

Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

A number of studies suggest that vitamin B6 is essential for maintaining a healthy heart:

1. In Korean men, higher dietary intake of vitamin B6 was associated with a low cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. [1]
2. A study showed that higher intake of vitamin B6 resulted in a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). [2]
3. In women, higher doses of vitamin B6 prevented CHD. [3]
4. In patients who are at risk for heart disease, higher vitamin B6 intake was associated with a lower risk of heart attack. [4]

Boosts Immune Function

Vitamin B6 has also been shown to strengthen the immune system:

1. In critically ill patients, high-dose supplementation with vitamin B6 produced better immunity response. [5]
2. In a mouse model, it was found that vitamin B6 deficiency caused a significant reduction in immune system cells. [6]

Lowers Blood Pressure

The anti-hypertensive effects of vitamin B6 are backed by a number of studies:

1. In mice, vitamin B6 supplementation prevented elevations in blood pressure. [7]
2. In various animal models of hypertension, vitamin B6 decreased blood pressure by reducing resistance within the blood vessels. [8]
3. In rats, administration of vitamin B6 attenuated hypertension. [9-10]

Helps Lose Weight

Studies suggest that vitamin B6 supplementation can help promote weight loss:

1. In obese women, vitamin B6 supplementation was associated with a better body composition. [11]
2. A study showed that low vitamin B6 concentrations were present in obese Norwegian patients. [12]

Accelerates Wound Healing

In diabetic mice subjects, vitamin B6 supplementation effectively improved wound healing. [13] This suggests that vitamin B6 can be a therapeutic option for diabetic wounds.

Prevents Cancer

Studies also show that vitamin B6 has anti-cancer properties:

1. A study showed that vitamin B6 prevented tumor growth. [14]
2. One study also found that vitamin B6 could potentially lower the risk of cancer. [15]
3. Higher vitamin B6 intake was also found to be linked with a lower risk of tumor growth. [16]

Boosts Brain Power

A number of studies reported that vitamin B6 is essential for normal cognitive function:

1. In animal models, higher vitamin B6 intake was associated with a better cognitive function. [17]
2. A study showed that vitamin B6 administration can help improve cognitive function by repairing nerve damage in the brain. [18]
3. In Iranian patients with cognitive disorder, higher vitamin B6 intake was associated with decreased brain malfunction. [19]

Prevents Age-Related Blindness

Vitamin B6 can also help improve eye health especially in the elderly population. A study assessing the effects of vitamin B6 intake on adult female health professionals found a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration. [20]

References:

1. Jeon J, Park K. Dietary Vitamin B6 Intake Associated with a Decreased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study. Nutrients. 2019;11(7):1484. Published 2019 Jun 29. doi:10.3390/nu11071484.
2. Jayedi A, Zargar MS. Intake of vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 and risk of coronary heart disease: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(16):2697-2707. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2018.1511967. Epub 2018 Nov 15. PMID: 30431328.
3. Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB, et al. Folate and Vitamin B6 From Diet and Supplements in Relation to Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Among Women. JAMA. 1998;279(5):359–364. doi:10.1001/jama.279.5.359.
4. Available at https://www.nature.com/articles/1601960.
5. Cheng CH, Chang SJ, Lee BJ, Lin KL, Huang YC. Vitamin B6 supplementation increases immune responses in critically ill patients. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006 Oct;60(10):1207-13. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602439. Epub 2006 May 3. PMID: 16670691.
6. Qian B, Shen S, Zhang J, Jing P. Effects of Vitamin B6 Deficiency on the Composition and Functional Potential of T Cell Populations. J Immunol Res. 2017;2017:2197975. doi:10.1155/2017/2197975.
7. Vasdev S, Ford CA, Parai S, Longerich L, Gadag V. Dietary vitamin B6 supplementation attenuates hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Mol Cell Biochem. 1999 Oct;200(1-2):155-62. doi: 10.1023/a:1007088512834. PMID: 10569195.
8. Lal KJ, Dakshinamurti K, Thliveris J. The effect of vitamin B6 on the systolic blood pressure of rats in various animal models of hypertension. J Hypertens. 1996 Mar;14(3):355-63. doi: 10.1097/00004872-199603000-00013. PMID: 8723990.
9. Dakshinamurti K, Lal KJ, Ganguly PK. Hypertension, calcium channel and pyridoxine (vitamin B6). Mol Cell Biochem. 1998 Nov;188(1-2):137-48. PMID: 9823019.
10. Vasdev S, Ford CA, Parai S, Longerich L, Gadag V. Dietary vitamin B6 supplementation attenuates hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Mol Cell Biochem. 1999 Oct;200(1-2):155-62. doi: 10.1023/a:1007088512834. PMID: 10569195.
11. Novin ZS, Ghavamzadeh S, Mehdizadeh A. The Weight Loss Effects of Branched Chain Amino Acids and Vitamin B6: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Obese and Overweight Women. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2018 Feb;88(1-2):80-89. doi: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000511. Epub 2019 Mar 6. PMID: 30841823.
12. Erlend T Aasheim, Dag Hofsø, Jøran Hjelmesæth, Kåre I Birkeland, Thomas Bøhmer, Vitamin status in morbidly obese patients: a cross-sectional study, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 87, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 362–369, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/87.2.362.
13. Mochizuki S, Takano M, Sugano N, et al. The effect of B vitamin supplementation on wound healing in type 2 diabetic mice. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2016;58(1):64-68. doi:10.3164/jcbn.14-122.
14. Mikkelsen K, Prakash MD, Kuol N, Nurgali K, Stojanovska L, Apostolopoulos V. Anti-Tumor Effects of Vitamin B2, B6 and B9 in Promonocytic Lymphoma Cells. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(15):3763. Published 2019 Aug 1. doi:10.3390/ijms20153763.
15. Simone Mocellin, Marta Briarava, Pierluigi Pilati, Vitamin B6 and Cancer Risk: A Field Synopsis and Meta-Analysis, JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 109, Issue 3, March 2017, djw230, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djw230.
16. Available at https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(08)01079-2/abstract.
17. Guilarte TR. Vitamin B6 and cognitive development: recent research findings from human and animal studies. Nutr Rev. 1993 Jul;51(7):193-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1993.tb03102.x. PMID: 8414222.
18. Available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cns.13207.
19. Available at https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(20)30208-X/abstract.
20. Christen WG, Glynn RJ, Chew EY, Albert CM, Manson JE. Folic acid, pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin combination treatment and age-related macular degeneration in women: the Women’s Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(4):335-341. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.574.