Vitamin B6: too much or too little?

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1. Vitamins are indispensable for our body. We all know that. Some are produced by the body itself, but for most vitamins the body depends on the nutrients in our food. In other words: If you do not eat a healthy and varied diet, a vitamin deficiency will develop at some point.

1. Your body then has no spare in the cupboard, so your body will falter. You will notice this in the form of minor ailments that will quickly escalate if you do not take timely action.

1. Everyone is very much aware of this, so we take a vitamin supplement to be on the safe side. â € œIf it doesnâ € ™ t do any harm, then we think. But this thought has since become obsolete. Some vitamins can indeed be a problem in a high dose.

2. Everyone is very much aware of this, so to be on the safe side we take a vitamin supplement. â € œIf it doesnâ € ™ t do any harm, then we think. But this thought has since become obsolete. Some vitamins can cause a problem in a high dose.

1. For example, it has recently become known that a too high dose of vitamin B6 can cause serious health problems (consumer association research). An overdose through healthy eating is almost impossible. The problem is in the dietary supplements, which sometimes measure extremely high doses.

2. For example, it has recently become known that a too high dose of vitamin B6 can cause serious health problems (Consumer Association research). An overdose through healthy eating is almost impossible. The problem is in the dietary supplements, which sometimes measure extremely high doses.

1. Recently this research was in the news (1), and with good reason. The measured quantities were sometimes gigantic with the daily recommended amount being extremely exceeded, often without an indication on the packaging.

1. Dangerous? Hell yes. If the dose is too high, the question is not whether something will happen, but when it will happen.

1. But first a lesson in biology about vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6

1. We know a total of 13 different vitamins, each one indicated with a letter. Some are fat soluble, some are water soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins are generally found in the fats we eat. Your body is able to store it for later use.

1. The water-soluble vitamins come from the fluid we eat and drink. Your body is unable to store it. If certain vitamins are not used then, they will be eliminated naturally.

2. The water-soluble vitamins come from the moisture we eat and drink. Your body is unable to store it. If certain vitamins are not used then, they will be disposed of naturally.

1. Researchers used to think that there was one vitamin B. But it later turned out that there are different vitamins within this group, each with its own effect. These were thus numbered within the B group. It later turned out that some vitamins in this group are not vitamins at all, so they were removed from the list. It is for this reason that there is no such thing as B7, while we all know B6 and B8.

2. Researchers used to think that there was one vitamin B. But it later turned out that there are different vitamins within this group, each with its own effect. These were thus numbered within the B group. It later turned out that some vitamins from this group are not vitamins at all, so they were removed from the list. It is for this reason that there is no such thing as B7, even though we all know B6 and B8.

1. By the way, there is one big similarity between all B vitamins: They all have a function in the metabolism.

2. Incidentally, there is one big similarity between all B vitamins: They all have a function in the metabolism.

1. The Vitamin Group B6 was 'discovered' in 1934 by a biologist from Hungary. He discovered that there are three substances, each of which has the effect and functionality of vitamin B6: Pyridoxine, Pyridoxal and Pyridoxamine. It's going too far to cover all three, so we're just going to call this whole group Pyridoxine. This is also the general name for vitamin B6.

1. Vitamin B6 is used by the body as a so-called coenzyme. This is the helper for an enzyme. Without the coenzyme, the enzyme cannot do its job to initiate certain processes in the body. There are in total over 100 enzymes that are dependent on the coenzyme B6.

2. Vitamin B6 is used by the body as a so-called coenzyme. This is the helper for an enzyme. Without the coenzyme, the enzyme cannot do its job to trigger certain processes in the body. There are in total over 100 enzymes that are dependent on the coenzyme B6.

1. Let's briefly list which body processes depend on Vitamin B6:

1. When converting carbohydrates into energy and heat, vitamin B6 is very important. Not essential, but without B6 this will be less efficient.

1. B6 plays a very important role in the conversion of amino acids, both the construction and the breakdown thereof.

1. Vitamin B6 also regulates the effect of the hormones Estrogen and Testosterone, among other things.

2. Vitamin B6 also regulates the functioning of the hormones Estrogen and Testosterone, among others.

1. Vitamin B6 is indispensable for the efficient functioning of the immune system.

2. Vitamin B6 is essential for the efficient functioning of the immune system.

1. For a pregnant woman, vitamin B6 is very important for the construction of the brain tissue of the unborn child. Vitamin B6 is still needed after birth, as brain tissue builds up until the first year of life.

2. For a pregnant woman, vitamin B6 is very important for the construction of the brain tissue of the unborn child. Vitamin B6 is still required after birth, as brain tissue builds up until the first year of life.

1. Vitamin B6 plays a very important role in the production of neurotransmitters. These ensure the communication between the brain and various nerve cells, which in turn are responsible for receiving stimuli related to pain and for controlling the muscles. This is also one of the first functions to malfunction when there is an overdose of vitamin B6 in the body.

Too little vitamin B6

1. Shortage of this vitamin is very rare in the Netherlands. But if it does occur, it will first of all show itself in anemia; where there is a shortage of red blood cells. You can feel this through a general feeling of weakness and tiredness. The white blood cells are then also in the minority, so that a reduced resistance can occur.

1. This can lead to other disorders and ailments. Deficiency can also affect the nervous system and even lead to convulsions in small children.

Too much vitamin B6

1. The government has set a maximum acceptable daily amount of Vitamin B6 of 1.5 milligrams per day. There is a very large margin in this, because the dangerous limit is 25 milligrams per day, for a longer period of time. You will never achieve this with normal food, because this is equivalent to, for example, 65 bananas or 10 kilos of potatoes. And if you can eat that, you will have bigger problems than an excess of vitamin B6….

1. With a long-term surplus of vitamin B6, this mainly affects the nervous system. You will feel this on your hands and feet that, for example, start tingling. In the longer term, this can become very serious. There is also a disturbance in other body processes, but these only occur later, or there are no clearly noticeable symptoms (yet).

The supplement culture

1. Dietary supplements have been around for a very long time. The older ones among us all remember the â € ˜Davitamon 10â € ™, those big red pills that were on the table during the winter period. The market for supplements has only grown since then. Not only did the demand increase, but the range also expanded.

1. The marketing was of course simple: Do you not eat healthy and varied? Then just take a pill, then you won't be short of anything.

1. The principle is nice, but of course it gives us a false sense of security. So could you eat fast food every day and, in combination with supplements, not be short of anything?

1. No, that's definitely not true. You can only use vitamin supplements as a supplement to a healthy and varied diet. Never â € instead ofâ € ™. Dietary supplements are useful to (temporarily) supplement a vitamin deficiency.

Too much vitamin B6 in supplements

1. But in the end the result was that everyone had several pots in the cupboard, for all kinds of ailments and / or additions. But most tablets also contain additional vitamins, which are, incidentally, on the label. As a result, it can happen that you keep getting vitamin B6 from 4 different tablets.

1. If you also consider that a measurement has shown that certain supplements contain far too much B6, then you don't have to be a mathematician to realize that you will soon exceed the safe limit of 25 milligrams.

1. This happens more than you think, simply because you are not going to add this up. You assume that all manufacturers adhere to the maximum quantities. On the other hand, you must also be aware of the total amount of vitamin B6 yourself, by adding up the values ​​of all supplements.

1. Failure to do so could have unintended, but very serious, consequences. To illustrate this, an example, taken from the Dutch Journal of Medicine:

1. Â € ¦..Because it was a purely sensory polyneuropathy, in addition to parameters of thyroid function, paraprotein, vitamin B1 and B12, vitamin B6 was also determined in the blood. The latter value was found to be increased:> 500 nmol / l. Upon inquiry, the patient's wife appeared to have died a year ago. Since then, he ate less healthy and had started taking multi vitamin preparations on the advice of a friend, taking more than 40 mg pyridoxine (vitamin B6) per day. The painful tingling sensations disappeared a few months after stopping the Multi vitamin preparations. The feeling in the ankles was back to normal……

Finallyâ €!

1. If you take several nutritional supplements, it is important to check this critically. Add up the total amounts of a particular species and compare this with the recommended daily amount. As soon as you have any doubts about this, talk to your doctor. It is also wise to check the values ​​via the internet, because research has shown that there is often more B6 in the pill than indicated on the label. [!/ Vc_column_text] [!vc_toggle title = "Investigate:" open = "false "] 1.

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