Vitamin B6
- Effective dose
- 30–80 mg
- Evidence
- 3/5· Moderate
Last updated June 1, 2026
What it is
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin whose active form, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, is a cofactor in over 100 enzyme reactions, especially in amino acid metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis. The adult requirement is small (around 1.3 mg/day) and usually met by diet.
Benefits
B6 reduces nausea in pregnancy at 30–75 mg/day (ACOG suggests 10–25 mg several times daily) and eased symptoms in a PMS trial at 80 mg/day.
When to take it
Taken daily with or without food; for pregnancy nausea it is often split into several smaller doses across the day.
Side effects
Chronic high intake (grams per day over months to years) causes severe, sometimes irreversible sensory nerve damage with loss of coordination. The U.S. upper limit is 100 mg/day, and the European authority set a far lower 12 mg/day caution threshold.
Sources
Products containing Vitamin B6
No products in our database contain this ingredient yet.