A couple of years ago, my brain was feeling pretty foggy.  I felt like I could not concentrate as well as I used to be able to.  I felt like my brain was not making the proper connections, like processes were not going through all the way.  I hear this a lot from my patients.  Foggy thinking is very common!  When this is happening, you may not have enough vitamin B6 (pyridoxine).  B6 is used by the nervous system and is needed for normal brain function.  It plays a role in the synthesis of some of the important neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and GABA.  When these neurotransmitters don’t break down properly, we can have too much or too little of them available to us.   This means that a deficiency of vitamin B6 could cause increased stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, learning difficulties, impaired memory or memory loss, as well as other issues, such as skin problems and tingling sensations.  When I started taking vitamin B6, my mind felt much more clear and I could think and concentrate again!

According to the National Institutes of Health, the Recommended Daily allowance of vitamin B6 for men and women ages 19-50 is 1.3mg daily and for those over 50, for men 1.7mg daily and for women 1.5mg daily. Most supplements will contain 10mg for daily intake.  You can take vitamin B6 as a supplement alone or in a B-Complex (other Bs will be discussed in other articles) and you should do this if you have symptoms, but you can also get more vitamin B6 from your diet.  Most foods have some vitamin B6.  Here are the foods that are high in B6: carrots, brewer’s yeast, eggs, chicken, fish, peas, spinach, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and wheat germ.  Other food sources include: bananas, avocados, blackstrap molasses, beans, broccoli, brown rice, and other whole grains.

Take a look at your diet and see if you are getting enough vitamin B6 on a daily basis.  Do you know other foods high in B6?  Have you tried adding this vitamin and had success?  Please comment below.

If you would like to have your B6 level checked or discuss other possible nutritional deficiencies, click here to learn more about my practice or schedule your appointment here now!  If you haven’t signed up to receive weekly information from me, see the sign-up form to your right.  Happy B6 eating!