B +
Here’s a vitamin pop quiz: What vitamin helps the brain function (it plays a role in the development of neurotransmitters), helps prevent heart disease, can relieve morning sickness for pregnant moms, and is an excellent therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome?
If you answered “vitamin B-6” you get an A+.
Now a new study from Harvard has added another very important health benefit to that impressive list above.
In the blood
In previous e-Alerts we’ve seen how supplements of calcium and folate may significantly help cut the risk of colon cancer. According to research just published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, it may be time to include vitamin B-6 in the lineup of nutrients that fight colon cancer.
A team of researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School examined blood samples provided by more than 32,800 subjects who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study from 1989 to 1990. Over that ten-year period nearly 200 of the subjects were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, while 410 subjects were found to have colon polyps.
The blood samples were tested for a form of vitamin B-6 known as P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) and then sorted into four groups, from lowest P5P concentration to highest. The average P5P level in the lowest group was 1.6 mg. The group with the highest concentration had nearly eight times as much P5P as the lowest group. (The recommended daily allowance for vitamin B-6 is 2 mg for men and 1.6 mg for women.)
When the four groups were measured against cases of colorectal cancer and polyps, researchers found a clear association between high P5P concentrations and a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. More specifically, those with the highest P5P concentrations had a 44 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer and nearly 60 percent lower risk of polyps compared to subjects with the lowest levels of P5P.
Fabulous stuff
When I checked in with HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., about this study, he told me that vitamin B-6 is not “the first nutrient that comes to mind for cancer prevention.” But he did have this enthusiastic advice about supplementing with vitamin B-6:
“B-6 is fabulous stuff. I use it as a diuretic (especially in women, and MOST especially if there’s fluid retention associated with their monthly cycle).
“In this study the researchers measured P5P, which is the more active form of B-6. Supplements of this form are very good, so less is needed than straight pyridoxine (what’s considered the ‘regular’ vitamin B-6), but it’s far more expensive. It’s also not really necessary. I had tons of positive results (as did most everyone who used it clinically) long before pyridoxal-5-phosphate was available orally. Pyridoxine usually has positive effects on retained fluid starting at about 100 mg per day. (Retained fluid is what collects outside of the blood vessel space, ending up instead in the tissues, which makes your ankles swell, your fingers feel puffy, generally bloated, etc.)
“When 100 milligrams/day doesn’t work, I double it; failing that, I double it again (400 mg). Rarely, if ever, do I go above that. There have been reports of B-6 ‘toxicity,’ which consists of numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers (which is also what a deficiency can do, oddly enough), but it’s hard to do. I did a literature search years ago and came up with only six cases. This ‘toxicity’ requires in the neighborhood of 2,000 mg daily for at least a monthdoses as low as 1,000 mg can do it, but they require longer periods of time.
“B-6 is definitely more effective in the company of magnesium – they work together intimately in the body. 100 mg or so of B-6 with 500 mg of magnesium is a good starting point (and ending for many).”
Edible 6
“All in all,” Dr. Spreen says, “B-6 is an amazing nutrient. The original B-6 guru was a doctor named Ellis, and his book on B-6 is still a magnificent read.” The B-6 “guru” Dr. Spreen refers to is John M. Ellis, M.D., and his book (available on amazon.com) is titled “Vitamin B6 Therapy: Nature’s Versatile Healer.”
One final note: Studies have shown that ample amounts of fruits and vegetables may be a key factor in preventing precancerous colon polyps from developing into cancer. And this may be especially true of bananas, spinach and avocado, all of which contain vitamin B-6. Other foods that deliver B-6 include poultry, fish, meat and beans.
Sources:
“Plasma Vitamin B6 and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer and Adenoma in Women” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 97, No. 9, 5/4/05, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
“Vitamin B6 May Reduce Risk of Colon Cancer” Natural Products Insider, 5/5/05, naturalproductsinsider.com
