Pyridoxine

Studies in people

• Open question

  Carpal tunnel syndrome²

  Some people with carpal tunnel syndrome feel better taking pyridoxine, but scientists do not yet know whether it truly helps.

• Benefit

  Pregnancy outcomes³

  In pregnant women, pyridoxine may lower dental decay, but there is not enough evidence for other outcomes.

• Concern

  Nerve damage from supplements⁴

  Taking too much pyridoxine, or vitamin B6, led to nerve symptoms that improved after people stopped taking it.

• Benefit

  Bowel cancer risk⁵

  Eating foods with pyridoxine was linked to lower bowel cancer risk, but scientists are not certain yet.

• No harm found

  Blood sugar in pregnancy⁶

  Pyridoxine did not improve abnormal blood sugar in four pregnant women, unlike an earlier report.

How it’s made and used

• Vitamin B-6 in breast milk⁷

  In breastfeeding women, pyridoxine supplements raised a form of vitamin B-6 in their milk for several hours.

• Vitamin absorption in the gut⁸

  In lab studies, pyridoxine at high amounts crossed gut cells by simple diffusion, not active transport.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.