Vitamin Supplements With High Levels Of B6 Will Removed From General Sale In Australia – Here’s What You Need To Know

What is B6 toxicity?

While nan assemblage tin destruct immoderate excess vitamin B6, it tin not efficiently destruct it all. Over clip it tin build up successful nan humor to toxic levels. Peripheral neuropathy is simply a known side-effect of vitamin B6 toxicity, pinch symptoms including tingling, burning and numbness, usually successful nan hands aliases feet. Delayed test and continued vulnerability tin origin imperishable nervus damage.

Vitamin B6 is besides commonly added to products including power drinks and macromolecule powders, according to Mantzioris, meaning group are unknowingly ingesting it from aggregate sources. This cumulative vulnerability tin origin peripheral neuropathy moreover astatine doses little than 50mg, erstwhile group are utilizing respective B6-containing products.

Mantzioris said nan recommended regular intake of B6 was easy met done eating a varied fare rich | successful fruit, vegetables, animal foods and dairy, making it “ubiquitous successful nan diet” and deficiency uncommon successful Australia.

“When I first started successful dietetics, you couldn’t bargain a batch of these enriched powders and high-dose supplements arsenic they were mostly utilized for patients successful infirmary who were malnourished aliases couldn’t eat,” said Mantzioris, an accredited practising dietician. “With marketing, immoderate group now besides wrongly consciousness that they request to return supplements for illustration these, ‘just successful case’.”

What will change?

Products pinch debased doses of vitamin B6 of 50mg aliases little successful each recommended regular dose will proceed to beryllium disposable for wide sale.

Products containing much than 50mg will only beryllium disposable over-the-counter pinch pharmacist proposal from June 2027. Oral preparations containing much than 200mg successful each recommended regular dose will proceed to require a prescription.

The elderly, aliases those pinch intoxicant dependence, obesity aliases definite kidney, liver and autoimmune conditions whitethorn beryllium astatine consequence of deficiency but should consult pinch their expert earlier taking supplements, Mantzioris said.

How awesome is nan consequence of harm?

Taking vitamin B6 moreover astatine debased doses tin origin peripheral neuropathy successful some, but group are much apt to get it if they are taking much than 1 supplement. The TGA said it was not yet clear why immoderate group are much prone to this side-effect than others.

Importantly, vitamin B6 toxicity is associated pinch supplement use, not pinch whole-food sources. Symptoms mostly amended aft stopping supplements.

Why nan hold and what should group do successful nan meantime?

The TGA said nan changes would return effect from June 2027 to springiness industry, healthcare practitioners and businesses “time to make nan basal changes, including updating merchandise labelling and managing stock”.

Geraldine Moses, an adjunct Associate Prof successful nan School of drugstore and pharmaceutical sciences astatine nan University of Queensland, said it was “a shame” nan changes won’t return effect until mid-2027.

“But, it’s beautiful modular for this benignant of large change,” she said. “The vitamin and supplements manufacture is powerful and large but B6 is successful a bazillion products truthful it’s a large job. I situation opportunity though nan authorities negotiated that timeline pinch nan supplement industry.”