Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is used for preventing and treating low levels of pyridoxine (pyridoxine deficiency) and the tired blood (anemia) that may result. It is also used for heart disease; high cholesterol; reducing blood levels of homocysteine, a chemical that might be linked to heart disease; and helping clogged arteries stay open after a balloon procedure to unblock them (angioplasty).

Women use vitamin B6 for premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and other menstruation problems, "morning sickness" (nausea and vomiting) in early pregnancy, stopping milk flow after childbirth, depression related to pregnancy or using birth control pills, and symptoms of menopause.

Vitamin B6 is also used for Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Down syndrome, autism, diabetes and related nerve pain, sickle cell anemia, migraine headaches, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, night leg cramps, muscle cramps, arthritis, allergies, acne and various other skin conditions, and infertility.

The NBPF3 gene has been associated with vitamin B6. People who have a homozygous mutation in this gene tend to have lower levels of vitamin B6.

Related to:
Pyridoxine