The Wellness Connection with Fiona Kane

Episode 98 Vitamin B6 in the News, is it safe?

• Fiona Kane • Season 1 • Episode 98

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Vitamin B6 is in the news, can it be toxic? Should you be concerned about a vitamin that is commonly found in multivitamins, shakes and energy drinks? I answer these questions and more in this episode.

Learn more about booking a nutrition consultation with Fiona: https://informedhealth.com.au/

Learn more about Fiona's speaking and media services: https://fionakane.com.au/

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Fiona Kane:

Hello and welcome to the Wellness Connection Podcast. I'm your host, Fiona Kane. Today I'm going to be talking about something that's in the news a little bit lately well, in Australia it is anyway and that's vitamin B6. It's in the news because there are some people talking about having too much in their system and it causing health issues, and I want to address that because it's an important topic, especially now, because one of the things I talk about quite a lot and one of the reasons I say book in and see me or book in and see a qualified practitioner, is for this exact reason, and I'll explain to you in a moment. We are trained in how to identify deficiencies, how to identify if someone's got too much of something, the test to do those kinds of things. We know what we're doing. The problem is now that many people are buying all the supplements from the supermarket or the health food store or wherever it is, and they might not be getting the right advice. But not only that, even if they are getting the right advice, for that time, what people tend to do is a set and forget thing. So they get a vitamin or mineral and they just start taking it, and they just take it for the next five years, whereas if you see a health practitioner, we will get you to come back and we will review your symptoms and we know what to look for and know to look for certain signs and symptoms.

Fiona Kane:

I did a whole episode about supplements and I will actually link that on YouTube. I'll link it as like the next video, so otherwise you can go to my podcast and look for it about supplements Anyway. So I want to talk to you a little bit about vitamin B6 and about some of the issues here. So first of all, it's important to so I'm just referring to my notes. It's easier if the notes are in front of me, so for those watching, sorry if I'm not looking at the camera. So vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin, which is what makes people think that you just wear it out if you have too much and you can't end up with too much, but you can. You can end up with too much, but you can. You can end up with too much in your system. It can build up in your system. Now it does many things, including it helps metabolize proteins, carbs and fats, so basically metabolize your food. It's involved in energy metabolism, immune function, cognitive function, makes neurotransmitters in your brain. Cognitive function makes neurotransmitters in your brain. It's part of how you make neurotransmitters to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in your red blood cells that is responsible for delivering oxygen to the tissue around your body. B6 is very important. It plays a really, really important role Now sometimes and pyridoxine hydrochloride is the most common form that you'll see in supplements and that kind of thing.

Fiona Kane:

Now, they've been looking at this and they've been monitoring this and there's no perfect answer for how much is too much, because it's different in different people. Generally speaking, what they're seeing is these symptoms, which I'll explain to you what the symptoms are in a moment, but they're associated with high doses of 100 to 500 milligrams daily. Now, most people will only be taking if you're taking one supplement, there might be 25 milligrams or something in that. Now, in my situation, me personally, I've twice sort of got myself overdosed I suppose is the word on B6, just personally me, and that's on quite small doses. So for me, I can just be taking 25 milligrams and it's too much for me, right? So there's not an exact number. It's just about treating the individual, which is why we always look at treating the individual. But, generally speaking in the reports that they're seeing the high doses it's like over 100 milligram is where they're seeing these symptoms.

Fiona Kane:

Now there's two main symptoms that I have seen in clinical practice and in myself. So in the 18 years I've been practicing, I have twice seen people start to show symptoms of having too much B6. In both cases I stopped them from taking it and I sent them to their GP in Australia, that's your local doctor for a blood test to just check the levels so that we could rule in or rule out whether the B6 was the cause of their symptoms. Now, both of those patients, they both had numbness and tingling and some pain. So essentially, the common symptom is peripheral neuropathy, and that's kind of the symptoms you get, and it's usually in your hands and feet. So it's kind of numbness, tingling, pain, just sort of strange symptoms. It could be burning as well in your hands and feet, and for me, though, the symptom was quite different. So I didn't get that when I had too much in my system and I had.

Fiona Kane:

When I look at my blood test results, I had just as much as my clients did and my symptom was anxiety, but it was like a different. So it was, I was really over the top with, okay, I've got to do this, got to do this, got to do that, got to do, and I couldn't turn it off and you know so before I could go to go to bed. But then I'd have this checklist of a dishwasher and not that, like, of course, most women will relate to having the checklist. So we all have that to an extent. But this was kind of on overdrive. So I just as overdrive thing of those checklists and double checking where I was at, double checking what I was doing and getting things ticked off the list. Excuse me, for a moment, I just had to cough. I saved you from having to listen to it. Sorry about that. So yeah, so mine was kind of a hypervigilance type anxiety that's the symptom I got. And so when it came back the second time, I recognized it and I was quite surprised because I didn't think I was taking much B6, but I had another look and I was taking a really small amount. But for me a really small amount was enough. And I'm trying to think if I remember it was 15 or 25, but it was a low dose. But that was just too much for me, right? Whereas most people they could happily tolerate that dosage. So, with my clients, we just took them off.

Fiona Kane:

The supplement and the symptoms you know in most cases, and especially if you pick this up really early on, which is why you go back and see your practitioner, it's why you return. People don't understand the value of returning. They honestly think supplements are set and forget. Medications are also not set and forget, like if your doctor prescribes medications. They want you to come back in so many weeks, so many months, whatever it is, so that they can assess, you know, is the medication working? Is it affecting your liver, is it causing a problem? You know they'll do a blood test to make sure your kidneys, liver, function, you know. So it's the same with supplements, right? So it's not set and forget. You get advice from a person who knows what they're talking about and you go back and you talk to them about symptoms and you talk to them about is it helping with the symptoms that you're taking it for or with the issue that you're taking it for? Is it causing new symptoms? What's going on?

Fiona Kane:

And peripheral neuropathy can be caused by many things. It is a common symptom with people with diabetes. Neuropathy can be caused by many things is a common symptom with people with diabetes and so you can't just like make the assumption that I'm taking B6, that's why I have this symptom. But if you are taking B6 and you're getting this symptom, then it is worth stopping the B6 and assessing and, like I said, your doctor can do a simple blood test just to see your levels of B6 and you can work out whether that's causing the problem or obviously look into other causes, other reasons why you might be having these symptoms, because it might be some other neurological thing. So I'm not saying the symptom means you have an overdone, overdose, whatever it just could be, which is why you have to be aware of it and practitioners will kind of have their ear out and kind of be looking for these kind. You have to be aware of it and practitioners will kind of have their ear out and kind of be looking for these kind of people.

Fiona Kane:

To say this the same as a GP knows what symptoms a medication causes, well we know what symptoms that you might get from a supplement. So we'll not only be looking for the good things about what the supplement might be doing, but we'll also be looking to make sure it's not doing anything wrong or it's not causing any problems, all right. So there's no such thing, you know, because people again, I said this in my last one when I talked about supplements but people always assume that supplements are safe. And the problem is that the people who are, you know, the sort of people who are against supplements say it's expensive, urine, blah, blah, blah, they're a waste of money. Well, the problem is, if you say that they're benign, then that means they can't cause a problem, right. And they can cause a problem if they're not benign, right. Which is also why they do something good, the same as medications, right? So medications can do some wonderful things for your body and they can also do some nasty things. Well, supplements are the same. They can do some wonderful things, but they're not benign and they can cause some problems. And that is why you have someone who knows how to prescribe it for you and monitor it for you, so that you know that you're okay and that you know that you're in safe hands.

Fiona Kane:

And I would just say, if you start getting any new symptom after you start taking anything, whether it be a medication, whether it be a supplement, investigate it right, because it can be the thing you're taking. I've had allergic reactions to both medications and supplements. So if you start taking a supplement or a medication and you come out on spots, stop taking it and talk to your practitioner. Or if it's a medication that you're not supposed to, just stop Talk to your doctor as soon as possible, go to the emergency, whatever better, but you're probably best to go off it as quickly as possible, as long as it's safe to do so, because the longer you stay on it, the more of an allergic reaction you're going to have right? So just don't see these things as benign. See these things as things that can be really helpful, but they're not benign.

Fiona Kane:

Now I'm just going to talk to you a little bit more about the B6. So the issue with B6 as well and this goes for a lot of supplements is that sometimes the sign of deficiency and the sign of toxicity are the same thing. So deficiency in B6 can look like things like dermatitis or red rashes. It can look like anemia, it can look like weakness, being sleepless, having fatigue, peripheral neuropathy, like I said Actually, no peripheral neuropathy, right See, here is not the issue. So peripheral neuropathy is a sign of deficiency and it's also a sign of toxicity. You don't know which it is. So, rather than going blind, that's why we need to assess these things and that's why it can be really, really useful, because someone who is actually experiencing a deficiency of B6 and having peripheral neuropathy for that reason, the B6 is actually a really great thing for them.

Fiona Kane:

So it's not sort of as simple, as no one should ever take it. It's all bad. It's about what you need and it's about looking at these symptoms and looking at the individual. So the other thing is that kind of either a swollen tongue or you might find like have cracks in the corner of your lips. Now, some of these symptoms relate to other B vitamins and relate to other nutrients, so it's not just like everyone who's got this symptom has this deficiency. It's not as simple as that, but these are just some signs and symptoms that you might have this issue.

Fiona Kane:

Also, b6 is involved in blood sugar regulation, so if you're not going to control your blood sugar levels very well, a B6 deficiency might be part of that Again, which is why B6 can be really, really useful, because if someone isn't managing their blood glucose levels, it's really important that in that case that they might take it, but needs to have the right dose and maybe the right kind. There's more than one kind but also needs to be monitored. So the other symptoms you might see are confusion, irritability, depression, even seizures for someone who's got a deficiency in B6. So it's not as simple and also, actually you'll see, might see elevated homocysteine, which is a marker for inflammation, so elevated inflammation you might see in your system.

Fiona Kane:

So when we look at the list of signs of toxicity again, like I said, peripheral neuropathy is in both columns, so that can be a sign and it's a common one that people have. But also some people have some skin issues with toxicity dizziness, nausea, muscle twitches, bone pains, muscle weakness, twitches, bone pains, muscle weakness and that's the thing too is that my symptom that I get isn't even listed there. I just know that I've had it twice and both times had this kind of hypervigilance, kind of that's happened. The other thing too is that you can have what's called ataxia, which is like poor muscle control, so clumsy movements, and of course these symptoms can be caused by many things, so you can't just assume that it's been caused by B6 toxicity. So I suppose ultimately what I'm trying to say is this stuff is complicated and that's why you see a practitioner.

Fiona Kane:

Now, the other thing, too is in regards to what you might find B6 in. A lot of people are taking it because it's in your multi. It's usually in a multi, it's usually in like a B complex. It might be in shakes that you're having, it might be in a weight loss supplement that you're taking, it might be in an energy drink that you're having, and so that's where it can build up as well, right? Because if you're doing an energy drink and like some B vitamins and you're doing a multi, you might be taking 100 milligrams a day and don't realize that you're doing this, right? Which is again also why you see a practitioner and why we ask you everything you're taking, because if we know what you're taking taking, we take that into account. Or we might say it's not a good idea or whatever it is, but it's important you understand what you're taking. We need to know what dose are you taking of different things so we know if it's too much, we know what to prescribe or we know what not to prescribe. Now that's why you know it is really important to get someone like me to help you. So the other thing and, like I said, it's just a blood test to sort of figure out if you have a deficiency, and I just want to just do something else here as well. So look, essentially what it was saying in the data is like. The data is just says this may be an issue and for some people, if you take it for long enough, it may be permanent Some of those symptoms, like their peripheral neuropathy.

Fiona Kane:

The other thing I would say in regards to supplements is it's really really commonly in magnesium supplements because they're all being used for similar things. So magnesium supplements are often being used for the blood sugar regulation or all of the things I mentioned before, all of the deficiencies. So B6 and magnesium work really well together, and so a lot of magnesium powders and magnesium supplements contain B6. And this is one of the reasons why, if you've ever been a client of mine, often I will start my clients on a powder or a tablet or something that has B6 in it and it might have other nutrients in there as well, because I'm aiming to get a certain result, aiming to build up a certain level of nutrition. But then often what I do is I take them off, the powder or the tablet or whatever, and I put them on a capsule. That is just magnesium and there's a reasoning behind this. Especially if it's like long-term and someone I'm not going to see for a while is okay, well, I don't think you need to take all of the things anymore, but magnesium is really useful to you. So let's put you on an appropriate dose of magnesium, but just on its own, and let's just do that longer term, because then I'll feel safe that you will be okay. So that's the sort of consideration that I make when I am talking to people about supplements. So, yeah, I think I've pretty much covered it as much as you need to know.

Fiona Kane:

But essentially, these signs and symptoms, whether it be of deficiency or of too much, can be caused by other things. So it's not always a problem with B6. B6 isn't evil and bad and shouldn't be used, or anything like that. B6 isn't evil and bad and shouldn't be used, or anything like that. It's really just about making sure that it's used appropriately, the right dose and for the right length of time and when someone needs it. Now, the other thing that might mean that you're more likely to need vitamin B6 would be, say, people on contraception, because contraception often causes B vitamin deficiencies. Smokers, people basically who drink a lot of alcohol, patients, with celiac disease and diabetes. So these are all the kind of people who are more likely to have a deficiency in B6 and might benefit from taking B6, whereas not everyone needs to take it. So that's again what we take into consideration.

Fiona Kane:

Do you actually need to take B6? But it is really important. Look, it's in meats and it's in things like turkey and chicken and fish, legumes, and it's in some cereals and vegetables and bananas in a lot of different places and often, because it's in so many different foods, often people will have plenty in their system. So it's often more about diseases of where you're not getting an absorption, like celiac disease, or diseases where there's a known like medications that will cause a deficiency, or diseases where there's a known like medications that will cause a deficiency, or diseases that maybe there's certain things that your body uses up more B6 than somebody else and so you need to have more, higher intake than somebody else. So, anyway, I won't continue on because it'll just get boring after a while, I'm sure, but I just want you to understand. So when these things come up in the news, sometimes people get frightened off and it's like, oh, I shouldn't take it. Or they ignore it and say, oh, it's just news, kind of carrying on.

Fiona Kane:

There are issues with supplements. They can have and I have had great success using supplements with my clients, getting really, really great results for people. Sometimes you can end up with a toxicity amount or you can end up with a, a symptom or a reaction or something that is not pleasant or not good. That's why you see a practitioner and that's why we work closely with people to get to do the right thing for that person. So B6 deficiency is not to be ignored, but B6 toxicity is also not to be ignored, and both can happen, which is why we always need to have an assessment of what is going on for you.

Fiona Kane:

Or is there something else going on completely different that is causing your symptoms? But I would. That's again why I just sort of say don't just go and buy. You know you have your B vitamins and your multi and you might be taking a shake like a protein shake that's also got B6 in it and it's so common and it'll be in things like stress formulas and things like that, and it's not hard. It would not be hard for you to end up being on 100, 125 milligrams of B6 a day, which is way too much for the majority of people. It would not be hard to do that if you're kind of just taking those kinds of things Really common and it's really easy to do by just getting stuff from the pharmacy or from a supermarket. So please don't do that. Please get the right advice and if you're having those symptoms and please investigate it.

Fiona Kane:

If you're taking B6, stop taking the B6 while you're investigating it and just please be careful with these things. Like everything, it's the same as water. It's all about the dosage, right. So things can be the greatest medicine or the greatest poison. It depends on the dosage. It depends on that person's need. So just be really, really careful and get the right advice and don't assume that supplements are benign. They're not, but that's also why they're helpful, because they actually do do something. You just want them to be doing the right thing for you. So anyway, I will leave it at that. Please like, subscribe and share, and if you need any help, you can book in a consultation with me at informedhealthcomau. Also, please rate this show. The more ratings I get, the more people will find out about me and find out about the Wellness Connection. This is where I like to have real conversations about things that matter. So I hope you have a great week. I'll talk to you again next week. Thank you, bye.

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