Supplement
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps enzymes make brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine and break down amino acids. People mostly look at it for nausea in pregnancy, where the evidence is strong, and for premenstrual syndrome, where five studies covering about 1,460 people found symptoms improved. The PMS effect was small, though, and the evidence there is moderate.
Sources: PMID 3299182; PMID 17187801
- Updated
- How we grade
- 14 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade B
- Conditions studied
- 8
- Outcomes
- 12
- Graded outcomes
- 0102
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMS Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 5 studies | 1,463 people | ||
Studies that measured pms symptoms
| ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Hormone No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 6 people | |||
Studies that measured growth hormone | ||||||
| Prolactin | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 6 people | |||
Studies that measured prolactin | ||||||
Metabolic Health
- Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
- Growth Hormone: improves
- Prolactin: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenocorticotropic Hormone No effect | NoneNo effect | 10 people | ||||
| Growth Hormone | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 10 people | |||
Studies that measured growth hormone | ||||||
| Prolactin | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 10 people | |||
Studies that measured prolactin | ||||||
| Cortisol | Improves (the measure goes down) | 10 people | ||||
Primary Dysmenorrhea (Menstrual Cramps)
- PMS Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMS Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 76 people | |||
Studies that measured pms symptoms
| ||||||
Hand-Foot Syndrome
- Hand-Foot Syndrome Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand-Foot Syndrome Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 111 people | |||
Chemotherapy Side Effects
- Hand-Foot Syndrome Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand-Foot Syndrome Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 5 people | |||
Breast Pain
- Breast Tenderness: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Tenderness | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 80 people | |||
Studies that measured breast tenderness | ||||||
Sleep Health
- Dream Salience: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dream Salience | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 18 people | |||
Studies that measured dream salience | ||||||
Key findings
- PMS SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- Growth Hormone
- Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
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Third-party tested Vitamin B6 products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.
- Grade B
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Studies cited
14 studies from PubMed
- Effect of Combined Use of Calcium and Vitamin B6 on Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms: a Randomized Clinical Trial
- Treatment of premenstrual tension syndrome with Vitex agnus castus controlled, double-blind study versus pyridoxine
- A synergistic effect of a daily supplement for 1 month of 200 mg magnesium plus 50 mg vitamin B6 for the relief of anxiety-related premenstrual symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, crossover study
- Effects of magnesium and vitamin b6 on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms
- [Influence of administration of pyridoxine on circadian rhythm of plasma ACTH, cortisol prolactin and somatotropin in normal subjects]
- A randomised study evaluating the use of pyridoxine to avoid capecitabine dose modifications
- Pyridoxine therapy for palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia associated with continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion
- The effects of vitamin B6 supplementation on premenstrual symptoms
- Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) therapy for premenstrual syndrome
- Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and the premenstrual syndrome: a randomized crossover trial
- No effect of vitamin B-6 against premenstrual tension. A controlled clinical study
- Controlled trial of pyridoxine in the premenstrual syndrome
- Pyridoxine (B6) suppresses the rise in prolactin and increases the rise in growth hormone induced by exercise
- Effects of pyridoxine on dreaming: a preliminary study