Why Do You Need Vitamin B6 During Pregnancy?
Vitamin B6 benefits For Nausea in Pregnancy: Why you need vitamin B6 during pregnancy?
Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is an important vitamin your body needs.
It helps your body store and use energy from carbohydrates and proteins in foods. In other words, it helps turn food into energy you need to grow that little bean!
It also helps your body form hemoglobin, which is a red protein that carries oxygen throughout your body. Vitamin B6 is also vital to your baby’s developing nervous system and brain.
The best part of B6 though, is that it can help reduce morning sickness during early pregnancy! (Yay!)
It has been proven effective for some women, and safe, although no one knows exactly how it works. Often, vitamin B6 is prescribed in much higher doses for the treatment of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
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How Much Vitamin B6 You Need
You need to ensure you get enough vitamin B6 from your diet (and supplements), so that your little one can grow to be big and strong.
You don’t have to get the daily amount of vitamin B6 every day.
Try to average the recommended daily amount over an entire week, instead.
Normally, the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin B6 is:
- For women & men ages 19–50: 1.3 mg
- For men older than 50: 1.7 mg
- For women older than 50: 1.3 mg
- For pregnant women: 1.9 mg
- For breastfeeding women: 2.0 mg
Can you get too many vitamin b6 benefits?
The maximum recommended daily intake (meaning the most you should take) for adults and pregnant or breastfeeding women age 18+ is 100 mg per day.
Daily doses of vitamin b6 over 100 mg per day do not appear to produce additional benefits, and very high doses (over 500 mg per day) have caused serious complications, such as nerve damage.
In this study (1), there were NO increases in maternal adverse events, major malformations, miscarriages, or low birth weight, even when doses ranged from 50 mg to 510 mg.
There was also no (statistical) difference in the risk of birth defects, between the women who took higher doses of vitamin B6, and those that did not.
Food Sources of Vitamin B6
Foods high in vitamin b6 are actually more than you think.
For example, eating just one cup of sunflower seeds, provides you with 94% (1.88mg) of your vitamin b6 daily value.
Some other foods high in vitamin B6 include:
- Avocados 0.29mg or 33% DV per 100g
- Pistachio nuts 1.12mg or 56% DV per 100g
- Bananas 0.37mg or 18% DV per 100g
- Spinach 0.24mg or 12% DV per 100g
- Pork (lean, cooked) 0.79mg or 39% DV per 100g
- Fish (tuna, cooked) 1.04mg or 52% DV per 100g
- Beef (rib, cooked) 0.68mg or 34% DV per 100g
- Potato (cooked with skin) 0.37mg to 0.60mg per medium potato
- Sweet potato (cooked, with skin) 0.33mg per medium potato
- Oatmeal, (instant, cooked) 0.21–0.30mg per 3/4 cup prepared oatmeal
- Beans (soy and pinto, cooked) 0.30mg per 3/4 cup
Should You Take A Vitamin B6 Supplement?
Vitamin B6 is found in both plant and animal based foods.
The specific form of vitamin B6 that is available in plant forms (pyridoxine glucoside), is about 50% bioavailable when compared to other sources of vitamin B6.
If you’re a vegetarian, you may need to supplement, but most women eating a healthy and varied diet, do not need vitamin B6 supplementation for a healthy pregnancy.
Of course, always follow the advice of your doctor or midwife.
The Signs of A Vitamin B6 Deficiency
Mild vitamin B6 deficiency is common.
Treatment of mild vitamin B6 is pretty straightforward and doctors usually prescribe oral vitamin supplement.
Symptoms of mild vitamin B6 deficiency may include:
- Anemia (hemoglobin deficiency)
- Cracks in skin around edges of mouth or a skin rash
- Depressed or confused
- More prone to infection
- Increased glucose intolerance (2)
Thankfully, severe vitamin B6 deficiency is uncommon. Those with certain chronic diseases (such as malabsorption) and alcoholics are at increased risk for vitamin B6 deficiency.
Some symptoms of severe vitamin B6 deficiency include (3):
- Irritable, depressed or confused
- Inflamed tongue
- Mouth sores or ulcers
- Cracks in skin around edges of mouth
Preeclampsia
What is preeclampsia? I helpful source is www.preeclampsia.org
It is a pregnancy complication involving primarily high blood pressure which leads to damage in organs (usually kidneys) and its precursor to eclampsia, which is a very serious condition that poses a threat to the health of the mother and her baby.
Almost always this begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy and affects about 5% of pregnant women.
Preeclampsia ranges from mild to severe, and it can progress slowly or change swiftly and acutely.
PE can even occur after delivery, although usually within 48 hours of giving birth.
Your doctor or midwife will check for protein in your urine.
Your body may spill protein into your urine (proteinuria).
Normally urine does not have any protein in it. During pregnancy, its okay to have a small amount of protein in your urine, so if you test positive don’t worry yet.
Sometimes stress or infection can be the cause, and not preeclampsia.
The amount of protein matters, and your doctor or midwife will continue to check the level at each appointment.
Symptoms of preeclampsia include:
- Two high blood pressure readings (140/90 mm Hg) at least four hours apart
- Protein in urine or other symptoms of kidney problems
- Severe headache
- Severe or sudden swelling (edema) or weight gain - particularly in face and hands (Note: Almost all women will suffer swelling in their feet during pregnancy - and this is normal. Its the rapid, excessive swelling that characterizes preeclampsia.)
- Shortness of breath (from extra fluid)
- Blurry vision or light sensitivity
- Pain in upper abdomen (under rib on the right side usually)
- Decreased urine output
- Nausea or vomiting
- Impaired kidney or liver functions
These may also put you at higher risk for preeclampsia:
Its important to treat your preeclampsia and follow your doctor’s or midwife’s orders especially if you’re ordered to bedrest. Your (and your baby’s) safety may be at risk so listen, and rest.
Below are some mommy stories of this horrid situation:
The only cure for preeclampsia is delivery, so you want to be sure you make it as long as possible before delivery to give your little one the best chances at thriving.
Lets Rock YOUR Baby Bump Safely!
- J Obstet Gynaecol. 2006 Nov;26(8):749–51.
- Combs, G.F. The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health. 2008. San Diego: Elsevier
- Leklem, J.E. Vitamin B6: Machlin L, ed. Handbook of Vitamins. New York: Marcel Decker Inc; 1991
