Vitamin B-6, also called pyridoxine, is a water-soluble vitamin and is a B complex vitamin. According to the Mayo Clinic, mild deficiency of vitamin B-6 is common. This is especially true for people following vegetarian or vegan diets, as animal products are the highest sources for this vitamin. It appears that vitamin B-6 may help lessen PMS and other menstrual cycle symptoms, although many studies relating to the menstrual cycle are not of the highest quality.
Reducing Menstrual Bleeding
Christiane Northrup, M.D., prescribes vitamin B-6, along with other vitamins and minerals, to treat heavy menstrual bleeding, called menorrhagia. If menstrual bleeding is severely heavy consult a physician and get a Pap smear to ensure that there isn’t an underlying condition causing menorrhagia. Dr. Northrup recommends 60 to 80 mg of vitamin B-6, along with vitamins B-12, E, C, A, folic acid, and iron to lessen heavy bleeding.
PMS
Premenstrual syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms including, but not limited to, the following: fatigue, irritability, moodiness and depression, fluid retention, and breast tenderness. According to the Linus Pauling Institute the evidence that B-6 is beneficial for PMS is weak. However, the article “Efficacy of vitamin B-6 in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: systematic review” published in 1999 in the "British Medical Journal" found that supplementation of 100 milligrams/day may be beneficial in lessening these symptoms. Unfortunately, this data is limited based upon the low quality of studies preformed thus far.
Depression
Dr. Emily Kane, a holistic doctor, states that taking B-6 promotes the synthesis of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that may combat depression. B vitamins also make women less susceptible to stress, which is thought to be because of this release in serotonin. B-6 also helps the liver to remove excess estrogens. This enables the body’s menstrual cycle to function properly and appears to decrease irritability.
Food Sources of B-6
Vitamin B-6 is found in many different foods. The highest levels of this vitamin can be found in foods of animal origin, including: meats, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Other good sources of the vitamin include: fortified cereal, bananas, potatoes and spinach. The RDA, or Recommended Dietary Allowance, or B-6 for adult females is 1.5 milligrams/day. However, many of the studies done with vitamin B-6 use doses much larger than the RDA, since it appears that 100 milligrams of this vitamin per day may be needed to combat PMS.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University : B6
- British Medical Journal; “Efficacy of vitamin B-6 in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: systematic review:’ Wyatt KM, et al,; May 1999.
- Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease; Maurice E. Shils; 2007
- Dr. Emily Kane : PMS/Pre-Menstrual Syndrome
- Mayo Clinic : Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Christiane Northrup, M.D. : Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (Menorrhagia)
