We have already written about vitamin B6 being necessary for the production of neurotransmitters that have a serious effect on mood. You’ve probably heard about these, dopamine, known as the happiness hormone and serotonin belong to this group along with GABA which is the most significant one in terms of B6.

It’s true for several vitamins B that deficiency can negatively influence mood which can cause both anxiety and symptoms of depression. Vitamin B6 is an especially significant actor since its various qualities can potentially alleviate the symptoms of anxiety. These qualities are the following:

• It’s necessary for the transformation of the stimulant glutamate into the calmative GABA or glutathion (GSH), the main antioxidant of the body.

• It’s needed for dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline production.

• They lower the level of several substances that increase the functioning of the NMDA receptor, such as homocystein. In this way it also has a calming effect.

The study

In a study published in July 2022 the influence of large dose vitamin B6 or B12 supplementation on anxiety was tested on youg adult university students. The measure of anxiety was determined with a modern test devised for this purpose.

Altogether 478 people were observed in five different stages for 4.5 years. The participants were always divided into 3 groups then were given 100 mg vitamin B6, 1000 mcg vitamin B12 or placebo for 30-35 days. (The durations differed because the post-examination lab tests were much more practical to carry out this way.)

Two different tests took place before and after the therapy which analyzed the participants’ anxiety and mood. Other visual tests were also carried out, one of wich served to prove that vitamin B6 supplementation was indeed responsible for the results due to its effects on GABA production.

Results

Vitamin B6 supplementation significantly reduced the participants’ anxiety and based on both tests it improved their mood in contrast to the placebo group members’. Vitamin B12 supplementation was also successful, however, in a less effective way than that of vitamin B6.

The results were demonstrated with great diagrams where it’s easy to see that the members of the placebo group fared better on the pre-study mood/proneness to depression assessment test, but after that, by the end of the study their mood deteriorated. By contrast, those who were given vitamin B6 experienced improvement in their mood and their proneness to depression lessened and in a month they even achieved better results than the placebo group members despite their significant disadvantage.

Before testing            After testing

The lower value indicates how much it decreased anxiety

Before testing            After testing

The lower the value the better the mood

The B6 group’s mood improved while the placebo group’s worsened

Vitamin B6 supplementation was probably this successful as it was tested on young university students who suffer from anxiety remarkably often because of their exams. In their case vitamin B6 helped reduce this unpleasant symptom by virtue of its calming effects. Vitamin B12 supplementation was also beneficial, however, the 30 day period probably wasn’t sufficient for its positive effects on the structure of nerve cells to prevail effectively.

Caution

In the study a daily amount of 100 mg vitamin B6 was supplemented which is way more than what can be ingested through diet. This might not be safe in the long run so this large amount should only be supplemented for a short period.

(The diagrams are taken from the study linked under Sources)