Glucose is your body's preferred fuel source. Too much or too little can have adverse health effects. Your pancreas produces a blood sugar-controlling hormone called insulin, which maintains balance. Diabetes is when your blood sugar remains high, either because your pancreas produces too little insulin, or your body fails to respond properly to it. Vitamin B-6 is beneficial if you have diabetes, but talk to your doctor before taking B-6 for diabetes.
Function
Vitamin B-6 is part of a group of vitamins known as B complex. It helps maintain proper nerve function and helps keep blood sugar balanced, according to Medline Plus. It also helps to break down protein, which is important to diabetics, since you must rely on protein for energy. You get B-6 from foods such as beef, pork, poultry, bananas and avocados.
Cardiac Benefits
Having diabetes puts your heart at risk. Diabetes can cause arterial stiffening. When your arteries stiffen, more force is required to circulate blood throughout your body. Arterial stiffness increases your risk for cardiac events, such as a heart attack. Vitamin B-6 may help protect your arteries if you have diabetes. According to an August 2009 study in the "British Journal of Pharmacology," B-6 reduces diabetes-induced pressure and arterial stiffening in animal studies.
Neuropathy
High blood sugar can damage your nerves. This can cause peripheral neuropathy, which results in tingling and numbness in your extremities. Peripheral neuropathy is a common diabetic complication. Vitamin B-6 may reduce peripheral neuropathy symptoms if you have diabetes. According to a study published in the December 1997 issue of the "East African Medical Journal," taking 50 mg of B-6 along with 25 mg of B-1 daily, reduced peripheral neuropathy symptoms by 48 percent in diabetic patients.
Gestational Diabetes
High blood sugar that starts during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. Pregnancy hormones have the capacity to block insulin. Gestational diabetes risk factors include having high blood pressure, being overweight before pregnancy and a familial diabetic history, according to PubMed Health. Taking 100 mg of B-6 improves glucose tolerance if you have gestational diabetes. Studies published in the 1970s made this connection, making it an important part of prenatal vitamins. One such study was published in the March, 1977 issue of the "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology."
References
- Pubmed Health: Diabetes; Ari S. Eckman; May 2010
- Pubmed Health: Gestational Diabetes; Susan Storck; September 2010
- "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology"; Vitamin B6 Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Studies of Blood Glucose and Plasma Insulin; W.N Spellacy et al.; March 1977
- "East African Medical Journal"; Evaluation of the Efficacy of Thiamine and Pyridoxine in the Treatment of Symptomatic Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy; Z.G Abbas et al.; December 1997
- "British Journal of Pharmacology"; Prevention of Arterial Stiffening by Pyridoxamine in Diabetes is Associated with Inhibition of the Pathogenic Glycation on Aortic Collagen; Kuo-chu Chang et al.; August 2009
- Medline Plus: Vitamin B-6
