Vitamin B6

Great for reducing nausea and balancing hormones.

Vitamin B6 NRV:

The Nutrient Reference Value of Vitamin B6 is 1.4mg, Her.9 contains 20mg, 1428% of your NRV for the day. What does this look like? Well, 20mg amounts to roughly 43 bananas  

 

Major Functions:

  • Helps to restore balance by regulating hormonal activity
  • Helps to support normal blood sugar levels.

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    Benefits:

    Vitamin B6 helps to reduce nausea and research has shown that women who take a daily multivitamin containing at least 10 mcg of B6 before conception and/or during the first few weeks of pregnancy experience less nausea during the first trimester. In fact, prescription morning sickness drugs are a combination of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and doxylamine (an antihistamine). (Ref)

    During pregnancy, it is common for a woman’s hormone levels to fluctuate enormously on a daily basis. Vitamin B6 helps to restore balance by regulating the activity of hormones such as androgens, oestrogens, progesterone, glucocorticoids and thyroid hormone.

    Vitamin B6 also plays a large role in the metabolism of glycogen, which helps to support normal blood sugar levels. Since blood sugar levels often increase as the pregnancy progresses, controlling this can reduce the risk of complications for both mother and baby.

     

    Food Sources:

    • Fish
    • Nuts
    • Seeds
    • Avocados
    • Whole grains
    • Legumes

     

    References:
    • Hvas, A. M., Juul, S., Bech, P., & Nexø, E. (2004). Vitamin B6 level is associated with symptoms of depression. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 73(6), 340-343.
    • Nutt, D. J. (2008). Relationship of neurotransmitters to the symptoms of major depressive disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 69, 4-7.
    • Clayton, P. T. (2006). B 6-responsive disorders: a model of vitamin dependency. Journal of inherited metabolic disease, 29(2-3), 317-326.
    • Douaud, G., Refsum, H., de Jager, C. A., Jacoby, R., Nichols, T. E., Smith, S. M., & Smith, A. D. (2013). Preventing Alzheimer’s disease-related gray matter atrophy by B-vitamin treatment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(23), 9523-9528.
    • Festin M (2014). Nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. BMJ Clinical Evidence. http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/x/pdf/clinical-evidence/en-gb/systematic-review/1405.pdf. Accessed June 23, 2014.
    • Shrim, A., Boskovic, R., Maltepe, C., Navios, Y., Garcia-Bournissen, F. and Koren, G. (2006). Pregnancy outcome following use of large doses of vitamin B6 in the first trimester. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology: The Journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, [online] 26(8), pp.749–751. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17130022/ [Accessed 2 Jun. 2021].