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For the study, more than 300 participants were randomly assigned high-dose vitamin B6, B12, or a placebo to take once a day with food.
High doses of vitamin B6 could curb anxiety and symptoms of depression, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Reading found that young adults who took high-dose vitamin B6 supplements for a month reported feeling less anxious and depressed.
“The functioning of the brain is based on a delicate balance between excitatory neurons that carry information and inhibitory ones, which prevent uncontrolled activity,” David Field, lead author from the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading, he said in a press release.
“Recent theories have linked mood disorders and some other neuropsychiatric conditions to a disturbance of this balance, often in the direction of heightened levels of brain activity,” Field added.
For the study, more than 300 participants were randomly assigned high-dose vitamin B6, B12, or a placebo to take once a day with food. Participants assigned B6 or B12 took 50 times the recommended daily dose.
the recommended daily dose for vitamin B6 for men and women between the ages of 19 and 50 is 1.6 milligrams.
The biggest difference they found was in participants assigned vitamin B6, which scientists have concluded increases a chemical that blocks impulses between nerve cells in the brain.
“Vitamin B6 helps the body produce a specific chemical messenger that inhibits impulses in the brain, and our study linked this calming effect to reduced anxiety among participants,” Field said.
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Field noted that many foods contain vitamin B6, but the effectiveness of the supplement was related to the high dose. He further cautioned that the positive results shown in the study were less than the effect of other medical treatments for anxiety and depression.
But he said the benefits of vitamin B6 could enhance a treatment regimen.
“One possible option would be to combine vitamin B6 supplementation with talking therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy to increase their effect,” Field said.
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