An Australian man lost the ability to walk after taking 70 times the RDA of vitamin B6.
According to his daughter, Alison Taylor, the 86-year-old was living independently when a blood test revealed he was low on vitamin B6, so his doctor prescribed a 50-milligram supplement.
taylor said ABC Radio in Melbourne his dad began to lose feeling in his legs. He was admitted to a hospital after losing the ability to walk, where he was later diagnosed with vitamin B6 toxicity.
Vitamin B6 is important in helping the body absorb nutrients from food and, depending on the Mayo Clinic, it is important for normal brain development and for keeping the nervous system and immune system healthy. It is found in fish, bananas and potatoes.
However, the daily dose of vitamin B6 is 1.7 milligrams for men over 50 years of age, and its 50 milligram dose, along with taking a magnesium supplement, which contained 50 milligrams of B6, and consuming breakfast cereals fortified with B6, caused him to consume 70 times more than the recommended dose.
According to Mount Sinai, doses greater than 200 milligrams of vitamin B6 can cause neurological disorders, including loss of feeling in the legs due to nerve damage. The website notes that “stopping high doses generally leads to full recovery within 6 months,” but it’s still too early to tell if that will be the case for the elderly.
Vitamin B6 toxicity is usually rare, as the body excretes excess vitamin B through urine. But taking large amounts of the vitamin long-term could cause it.
Taylor told ABC it’s not yet clear if her father will make a full recovery, but she hopes physical therapy will help him get around without using his wheelchair as much.
Vitamin overdose can have serious consequences. In July, a man from the United Kingdom he was hospitalized for a vitamin D overdose that left him unwell for months, including vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dry mouth, ringing in the ears, and leg cramps.
The man had reportedly started taking more than 20 over-the-counter supplements after meeting with a private nutritionist, which is more than 200 times the US recommended amount.
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