Young individuals reported feeling less worried and depressed when taking large dosages of vitamin B6, according to researchers at the University of Reading in the UK.
According to a recent study conducted by the University of Reading, taking high-dose vitamin B6 tablets for a month can help young adults feel less anxious and depressed. These findings offer important support for the use of vitamin supplements that are expected to alter brain activity levels in order to prevent or treat mood disorders.
“The brain’s ability to function depends on a careful balance between excitatory neurons, which transport information, and inhibitory neurons, which curb excessive activity. Recent hypotheses have linked a disruption of this balance—often in the direction of elevated levels of brain activity—with mood disorders and some other neuropsychiatric illnesses, according to research lead author David Field, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Reading.
According to our research, ingesting vitamin B6 stimulates the body to produce a specific chemical messenger that inhibits brain impulses and calms test subjects.
Few studies have been done to determine which specific vitamins are responsible for this impact, despite the fact that prior research has clearly shown that multivitamins can lower stress levels. Over 300 participants were randomly randomised to receive either 50 times the daily recommended dose of vitamin B6 or vitamin B12 supplements or a placebo, which they were required to take every day for a month, in the current study.
According to the findings, vitamin B6 significantly differed from the placebo over the testing period, however vitamin B12 had minimal impact. The researchers found that vitamin B6 enhanced the body’s production of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), a substance that inhibits impulses between brain nerve cells and lessens sensations of anxiety and despair.
“Vitamin B6 is present in a wide variety of foods, such as tuna, chickpeas, and other fruits and vegetables. The large levels employed in this experiment, however, imply that more supplements would be required to have a mood-improving effect, according to Dr. Field.
The effect of vitamin B6 on anxiety in our study was fairly tiny compared to what you would expect from medicine, and it is important to note that this research is still in its early stages. However, consumers may prefer nutrition-based interventions in the future because they have fewer negative side effects than medications do.
To enable diverse dietary interventions to be combined in the future to provide better effects, additional study is required to uncover additional nutrition-based therapies that may promote mental health and wellbeing.
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