Vitamin B6 toxicity

Disregarding for the moment the benefits of taking in vitamins, let us mention that excessive intake of certain vitamins can have negative effects. This article offers some answers and explanations.

Vitamin B complex

There is a group of vitamins akin to each other and these vitamins are called the vitamin B complex. For example, this group encompasses vitamins such as B1-3 called thiamine, riboflavin and niacin respectively, plus vitamins B6 or pyridoxine, vitamin B9 or folic acid and vitamin B12 called also cobalamin.

Vitamin B6’s role

The vitamin from the above cluster that we will concentrate on today is B6 or pyridoxine. This vitamin belongs to the group of water-soluble vitamins and what it does is participate in certain processes in the body which involve enzymes. It comes into play when a human organism puts in an effort to disintegrate protein, fat and carbohydrate molecules.

In addition to this, vitamin B6 also plays a major part in the processes attached to activities of the human body that are related to composition of red blood cells and it plays a significant role when it comes to the growth processes of body cells. To further illustrate the enormous significance of this vitamin, let us mention that it has a big responsibility for normal processes in the nervous system.

We have mentioned quite a lot of roles that vitamin B6 plays in human body, and it would perhaps make one think that a person’s body requires a great amount of this vitamin in order to function properly. However, this is not the case. A human body needs very little of it! This amount spans from 50 to 100 mg per day for a grownup. In case a person takes in more than this quantity, say 500 mg or more, toxic effects appear. This is to be considered a grave situation.

Explanations for the toxicity of pyridoxine

Vitamin B6 is present in a many different foodstuffs. These include cereal crops, legumes, different nuts, chicken and fish meat, entrails such as liver and kidney. This wide availability of vitamin B6 means that a person can easily take an excessive amount of it. Though this is not the only way to take in a surplus of this vitamin – people who take supplements for this vitamin without getting proper advice from their doctor are also at a risk of suffering from the toxic impact.

What vitamin B6 toxicity could result in is migraine, tiredness, loss of sensation, grouchiness, harm to the nerves, troubles with walking normally, and impaired general coordination.