New Delhi: Trial participants reported feeling less anxious or depressed after taking high doses of vitamin B6 for a month. The trial provides evidence that B6’s calming effect on the brain could make it effective in preventing or treating mood disorders.
Scientists at the University of Reading measured the impact of high doses of vitamin B6 in young adults and found that they reported feeling less anxious and depressed after taking the supplements every day for a month.
The study, published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, provides valuable evidence to support the use of supplements thought to modify activity levels in the brain to prevent or treat mood disorders.
Dr David Field, lead author from the University of Reading’s School of Clinical Psychology and Language Sciences, said: “The functioning of the brain relies on a delicate balance between excitatory neurons, which carry information, and inhibitory neurons, which avoid runaway activity…
“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.”
Vitamin B6 helps the body produce a specific chemical messenger that inhibits impulses in the brain, and our study links this calming effect to reduced anxiety among participants.
“While previous studies have produced evidence that multivitamins or marmite can reduce stress levels, there have been few studies in which the particular vitamins contained in them drive this effect.
The new study focused on the potential role of vitamins B6, which are known to increase the body’s production of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a chemical that blocks impulses between nerve cells in the brain.
In the current trial, more than 300 participants were randomly assigned vitamin B6 or B12 supplements well above the recommended daily intake (approximately 50 times the recommended daily amount) or a placebo, taking one daily with food for one month.
The study showed that vitamin B12 had little effect compared to placebo during the trial period, but vitamin B6 made a statistically reliable difference.
Elevated GABA levels among participants who had taken vitamin B6 supplements were confirmed by visual tests performed at the end of the trial, supporting the hypothesis that B6 is responsible for anxiety reduction. Subtle but harmless changes in visual performance consistent with controlled levels of brain activity were detected.
Dr Field said: “Many foods, including tuna, chickpeas and many fruits and vegetables, contain vitamin B6. However, the high doses used in this trial suggest that supplementation would be necessary to have a positive effect on the state of spirit”.
It is important to recognize that this research is at an early stage and that the effect of vitamin B6 on anxiety in our study was quite small compared to what would be expected from the medication. However, nutrition-based interventions have far fewer unpleasant side effects than drugs, so people may prefer them as an intervention in the future.
“For this to be a realistic option, more research is needed to identify other nutrition-based interventions that benefit mental well-being, allowing different dietary interventions to be combined in the future to provide better results.”
One possible option would be to combine vitamin B6 supplements with talk therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy to increase their effect.”
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