Vitamin B-6 plays many of the same roles in the body as B-3. Vitamin B6 is critical to your immune system and in antibody production. It is also required for the production of the brain chemical serotonin, which regulates mood and appetite. (Often, individuals with fibromyalgia are low in serotonin.) This nutrient is also used to support arthritis and has also been shown to help lupus sufferers fight fatigue.

Foods that are highest in vitamin B-6 are carrots, chicken, fish, avocados, bananas, brown rice, and whole grains. Most B-complex formulas usually contain between 10 to 100 mg of vitamin B-6, which is higher than the recommended 2 mg per day. Vitamin B-6 is one of the few vitamins that can be toxic leading to irreversible neurological damage. It is safest to stay below 500 mg per day.

 

Steroids can deplete vitamin B6 and vitamin D. Also, HIV results in poor absorption of vitamin B-6 and B-12. A vitamin B-6 deficiency has been linked to asthma. A double blind study at Nassau County Medical Center in New York concluded vitamin B6 was very beneficial to asthma sufferers.

 

Note: Vitamin B-6 supplements diminish the effects of L-dopa in the brain and should not be taken by Parkinson’s disease patients treated with L-dopa unless directed by their doctor.

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