Vitamin B6

Studies in people

• Open question

  Cancer risk²

  People who ate more vitamin B6 from food had lower cancer risk, but trials of supplements did not confirm this.

• Benefit

  Constipation risk³

  People who ate more vitamin B6 were less likely to have ongoing constipation, though scientists say more research is needed.

• Benefit

  Stress and mood⁴

  In stressed adults with low magnesium, vitamin B6 with magnesium improved daily physical activity more than magnesium alone.

• Benefit

  Stress levels in adults⁵

  In people with severe stress, vitamin B6 plus magnesium eased stress more than magnesium alone, though overall results were mixed.

• Benefit

  Dementia risk⁶

  In a long study of Japanese adults, those who ate more vitamin B6 were less likely to develop dementia.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Women's health and deficiency⁸

  Vitamin B6 deficiency is linked to health problems in women, and fixing it is thought to help.

• Open question

  Inflammation and cancer risk⁹

  Vitamin B6's link to inflammation and cancer is not yet fully understood.

How it’s made and used

• Kidney transplant nutrition⁷

  In children with kidney transplants, some had high vitamin B6 levels even without taking supplements.

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 two findings in people. 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.