Vitamin B6

Other names Pyridoxine, Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, P-5-P, PLP,

Vitamin B6 is supplemented by some to improve brain functioning, but is it really effective for cognition and mood enhancement? Read on to find out what the science says.

This nootropic has no healthy human placebo-controlled studies that meet our inclusion criteria. Negative side effects can occur if used carelessly, so make sure you’re aware of the risks of Vitamin B6.

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Benefits

Read about the effects of Vitamin B6 in relation to the amount of evidence we've found

Why do people use vitamin B6?

People who self-experiment with vitamin B6 often state they use it to improve their:

Memory
Focus
Mood
Sociality

There is a lack of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of vitamin B6 for any of these purposes, especially in healthy humans.

Vitamin B6 for cognitive enhancement

There's a lack of evidence on the efficacy of vitamin B6 as a cognitive enhancer, but preliminary research suggests it is ineffective.

In a systematic review, it was concluded that there is not enough evidence for the efficacy of supplementation with vitamin B6 for the enhancement of any cognitive functions in the short term. [1]

The authors of the systematic review found two studies on the cognitive effects of vitamin b6 in elderly people:

"Twelve healthy women aged 65 to 92 years received 75 mg vitamin B6 orally per day and were compared with 21 healthy women who were allocated to placebo. No statistically significant benefits from vitamin B6 on mood or cognition were observed." [2]

In the second study analyzed in the systematic review, 38 participants received 20mg vitamin B6 daily for 12 weeks. No beneficial effects on mood or cognition were found in this study either. [3]

Risks

The legality and side effects of Vitamin B6

You should always consider the risks of a nootropic before you use it.

Negative side effects of vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is safe if used in appropriate doses, but can lead to negative cognitive side effects if mega-dosed, especially when used for long periods of time.

In two studies, 12 healthy women received 75mg daily for 5 weeks and 38 participants received 20mg vitamin B6 daily for 12 weeks. No adverse effects were reported in any of these studies. [1]

Vitamin B6 can be neurotoxic if consumed in high amounts for long periods:

"... both dose and duration of intake are important for B6 neurotoxicity [...] cases of clinical neuropathy occur after about 12 months or longer treatment with doses of 2 g/day or less, whereas neuropathy can develop in less than 12 months at doses greater than 2 g/day." [5]

The symptoms of vitamin B6 neurotoxicity include:

"Unstable gait and numb feet were usually the first signs, and numbness and clumsiness of the hands followed. Profound distal limb impairment of position and vibration sense developed, while the senses of touch, temperature and pain were less affected. All tendon reflexes were absent. The clinical profile was similar in all cases. The neurologic disability slowly improved once the patients stopped taking pyridoxine, and those examined after a prolonged period had made a satisfactory recovery. [...] The conditions of all patients improved after stopping vitamin B6 treatment for between 3-18 months, but the symptoms were not fully resolved. " [6]

See FAQ's below for info on how much vitamin B6 is too much, and how much your body needs.

Side effects

Interactions

Supplements and drugs can interact with Vitamin B6 to increase or decrease the positive or negative effects you experience. If you are already using any supplements or drugs, speak with your trusted medical professional before you experiment with Vitamin B6. To learn more about the potential interactions between Vitamin B6 and other substances, use interaction-checker.

Legality

Is your country not included? Learn how to find out if Vitamin B6 is legal in your country.

Legality Disclaimer

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Vitamin B6

What is pyritinol?

Pyritinol is a nootropic that might be more effective than vitamin B6. It is a semi-synthetic analog of vitamin B6 with a similar chemical structure, ut it does not have the same effects as vitamin B6 in the body. [11]

Is vitamin B6 present in foods?

"The primary dietary forms of vitamin B-6 from natural sources are PLP and PNP. Rich sources of total vitamin B-6 include fortified ready-to-eat cereals; fish; liver and other organ meats; potatoes and other starchy vegetables; legumes; nuts, bananas, avocados, and other noncitrus fruits; egg yolks; whole grains; and vegetables." [12]

Takeaway: You don't want too much or too little of this vitamin since either can lead to neurotoxic effects. A healthy diet is likely to lead you to consume vitamin B6 levels to provide your body with what it needs, without giving it too much. [13]

How much vitamin B6 should you use?

The Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamins is a good source for understanding how much you need and how much vitamin B6 you can safely consume every day for the rest of your life:

It is important to note that these levels regard all sources of vitamin B6, including food sources, supplements, and water.

We recommend that you experiment within the range between how much you need and how much you can safely take every day for the rest of your life. This will ensure self-experiments with vitamin B6 that are likely very safe and hopefully enable you to get the most out of it to help you feel and perform at your best.

What time of day should you take vitamin B6?

There is no data on what the optimal time of day for use of vitamin B6 is. There is no evidence that vitamin B6 impairs sleep if taken before bed-time.

Which foods are rich in vitamin B6?

The top 10 foods highest in vitamin B6 are [16]:

Pistachio nuts (1.7mg vitamin B6/100g pistachio nuts)
Salmon (0.9mg/100g)
Lean chicken breast (0.9mg/100g)
Fortified tofu (0.5mg/100g)
Lean pork chops (0.5mg/100g)
Beef (0.5mg/100g)
Bananas (0.4mg/100g)
Potatoes (0.3mg/100g)
Avocados (0.3mg/100g)
Sweet potatoes (0.2mg/100g)

Which form of vitamin B6 should I take?

Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (P5P or PLP), is the active form of vitamin b6, and is involved in a lot of basic metabolic functions in the body. [5] You get vitamin B6 in foods via both P5P and pyridoxine hydrochloride (pyridoxine HCL), and both of these are available in supplement form as well. There is some evidence that P5P is better absorbed, but this is likely only the case for people with liver injuries. [18][19]

Pyridoxine HCL is converted into P5P in the body.

Either form is likely going to give you similar results, but if one is more bioactive, it is probably P5P.

Should I mega-dose vitamin B6?

Whatever you decide to do - do not mega-dose vitamin B6. There are many reasons. For one, 500mg/day of pyridoxine for 14 days in healthy medical school students resulted in impaired learning, whereas 100mg did not (although there was a negative trend for this dose as well, suggesting it too is larger than optimal). [6] In another study 1000 mg of pyridoxine per day for 15 days impaired word recognition performance compared with participants given 20mg or placebo. Another reason to avoid mega-dosing vitamin B6 supplements is neurotoxicity.

The larger the dose, and the longer it is taken, the higher the risk appears to be for negative side effects from use of vitamin B6 supplements.

Studies

Studies conducted on the effects of Vitamin B6 in healthy humans

Last updated Saturday, June 10, 2023