When Taking Your Vitamins is Bad
Information about Vitamin B6 Risks from Our South Carolina Injury Lawyers
In order to stay healthy, you may take vitamins to supplement the nutrients that your body needs. However, the South Carolina injury attorneys at McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC discovered research that shows that vitamin B6 can hurt your body if taken in high doses, and vitamin companies do not warn their clients of this inherent danger. Your life is our mission, and we are prepared to go up against vitamin manufacturers and distributors who fail to properly warn of Vitamin B6 dangers.
Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is one of eight water-soluble B vitamins. Vitamin B6 is involved in the metabolism of protein and carbohydrates and the production of insulin and red and white blood cells. Though a helpful co-enzyme in the human body, researchers have documented adverse effects from vitamin B6 supplements taken in high doses. However, many supplement companies do not warn of these side effects or advise that they are selling vitamin B6 in an amount much greater than the recommended dietary allowance for an adult male or female.
Recommended Vitamin B6 Allowance
The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin B6 in an adult male is approximately two milligrams per day. The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin B6 in an adult woman is 1.5 to 1.7 milligrams per day. Many supplement companies package vitamin B6 in doses of 100 milligrams per pill or tablet. This is beyond the recommended upper allowance of most organizations.
In 1993, the European Community Scientific Committee on Food defined intakes of 50 mg vitamin B6 per day as harmful, and they established tolerable upper intake level of 25 mg/day for adults in 2000. The Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals of the Food Standard Agency UK (UK EVM) derived a safe upper level (SUL) of 10 mg/day for a 60 kg adult in 2003. The nutrient reference values in Australia and New Zealand recommend an upper limit of 50 mg a day in adults. The US FDA set the tolerable upper limit at 100 mg/day in 2000.
Side Effects of Vitamin B6 Overdose
People taking large dosages of vitamin B6 on a regular basis should be aware that problems can arise. Symptoms that you may notice include:
- Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
- Loss of manual dexterity
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
- Kidney stones (after taking excess vitamin B6 for extended periods of time)
These problems might occur as the result of a single massive overdose, but they also occur in people taking too much vitamin B6 on a regular basis. These problems are usually reversible once you stop taking the vitamin, although some effects might remain (particularly after large, chronic overdoses). Taking a multi-vitamin with the correct dosages of each particular vitamin is one way to avoid an overdose and ensure that your body is getting all of the nutrients it needs, which is not always possible through diet alone.
Treatment for a vitamin B6 overdose (if necessary) will involve supportive care, which consists of treating the symptoms that occur as a result of the overdose. Of course, treatment will also involve stopping the vitamin B6 (and then resuming it at a more appropriate dose, if necessary). It is important that you seek medical attention immediately if you believe that you may have overdosed on vitamin B6.
The South Carolina injury attorneys at McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC are pursuing cases involving personal injury due to vitamin B6 overdose. If you know of anyone who may have suffered personal injuries, please contact our experienced South Carolina injury lawyers immediately for a free consultation.