The question was raised in the Understanding B6 Toxicity using Western Research Facebook group about the lack of awareness surrounding B6 toxicity. I’ve spent the past ten years studying the public’s limited knowledge of this issue. Here’s a summary:
This issue isn’t about money, big pharma, or intentionally deceiving the public.
The research showing that B6 can be toxic even in smaller doses has been around since 1987—yes, that long. It comes from the Dalton and Dalton studies, which I often reference on the website. But what happens when you have such compelling research that it contradicts everything else known about the topic? It gets ridiculed. The Lancet article linked below highlights the challenges Dalton and Dalton faced.
[Read The Lancet article](https://www.thelancet.com/…/PIIS0140-6736(05…/fulltext) (click on the PDF download).
After Dalton and Dalton’s research, B6 toxicity at lower doses wasn’t studied in detail because many researchers in the field feared the ridicule that Dalton and Dalton faced. They prioritized their careers over exploring the controversial topic of toxicity. Instead, they focused on promoting B6 as the “wonder vitamin.”
This leads to the second reason why B6 toxicity was overlooked: biased research. For decades, only studies showing B6 in a positive light were published. If a study showed that B6 didn’t help with a condition—or worse, suggested toxicity—it was often ignored. Negative or neutral results weren’t given the same attention.
I’ve spent ten years reviewing the available research, and there’s a noticeable gap in studies on B6 toxicity from 1987 until about 2010, with a few exceptions. For example, Coburn researched B6 metabolism, suggesting that the body can function with less than the RDA (except during healing).
I don’t blame most doctors either—their education is usually thirty years behind on the latest research. I do, however, applaud those who’ve taken the time to educate themselves on this topic.
Lastly, the lack of public awareness is another significant issue. When I first started this group ten years ago, only two online resources even mentioned B6 toxicity: an old MedHelp forum and a brief section on the Mayo Clinic website about excess B6 symptoms.
It’s up to us to raise awareness. It’s up to us to educate the medical community. It’s up to us to keep pushing the information to the press.