Vitamin B6 Toxicity

Excerpt

Vitamin B6 is a micronutrient required by the body. Vitamin B6 refers to multiple chemically similar compounds, of which pyridoxine is the most common and is the compound found in commercially available vitamin supplements. The body uses vitamin B6 in numerous enzymatic reactions, including neurotransmitter production, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, hemoglobin synthesis and function, and gene expression. In the United States, vitamin B6 intake from food averages about 1.9 mg/day. Intake of food-based sources of pyridoxine will not cause toxicity. The only reported cases of vitamin B6 toxicity are from supratherapeutic dosing of supplements or iatrogenic.