With wellness trends and supplement routines constantly popping up online, it can be tempting to assume that adding a multivitamin or a few targeted supplements to your daily routine will automatically do your health some good. But taking supplements without knowing exactly what – and how much – you are consuming can have unintended consequences.
Dr Kunal Sood, an anaesthesiologist and interventional pain medicine physician, is explaining how taking multiple B-vitamin supplements can cause your daily intake to add up, potentially leading to excessive consumption that may do more harm than good.
In an Instagram video shared on September 17, the physician highlights, “Vitamin B6 is essential for normal nerve function, but more is not always better. Chronic excess from supplements can injure sensory nerves and cause peripheral neuropathy, especially when B6 is unknowingly coming from several products.”
The effect of excess vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 plays an important role in several essential bodily functions, including energy metabolism, red blood cell production, and maintaining healthy brain and nerve function. However, according to Dr Sood, consuming too much vitamin B6 can have the opposite effect, potentially damaging the sensory nerves and leading to nerve-related symptoms.
He explains, “Too much B6 can damage sensory nerves. B6 toxicity primarily affects nerves responsible for touch, pain, vibration, temperature, and body position. Symptoms can include persistent tingling, burning, numbness, or altered sensation in the hands and feet.”
B6 can hide across multiple supplements
When taking multiple supplements to address nutritional deficiencies or support overall wellbeing, it is important to look beyond individual products and check their ingredient lists. The physician highlights that vitamin B6 can be present in several different supplements, meaning your total intake can quietly add up when they are taken together. Without keeping track of the cumulative dose, what starts as an attempt to support your health could potentially backfire.
Dr Sood highlights, “Someone may take a multivitamin, B-complex, magnesium product, and fortified drink without realising they all contain B6. Labels may list it as pyridoxine hydrochloride, pyridoxal 5-phosphate, P5P, or PLP.”
Total daily dose matters
Dr Sood emphasises that if you take multiple supplements throughout the day, it is important to add up the total amount of each vitamin you are consuming rather than looking at each product in isolation. This can help ensure your intake does not inadvertently exceed the recommended amount. He also outlines a simple way to calculate your total daily intake.
He states, “The useful calculation is the amount of B6 per serving multiplied by servings per day, added across every supplement and fortified product. Even when each individual product seems reasonable, combined exposure can become much higher than expected.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
Dr Kunal Sood, MD, is a double board-certified physician in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Medicine. He did his residency and fellowship in anesthesiology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, followed by a one-year fellowship in interventional pain medicine. He later became the Medical Director of the office in Germantown, Maryland.
