Vitamin B6 Found To Contribute To A Reduced Colon Cancer Risk

Heres a vitamin pop quiz: What vitamin helps the brain function (it plays a role in the development of neurotransmitters), helps prevent heart disease, can relieve morning sickness for pregnant mothers, and is an excellent therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome?

If you answered vitamin B-6 you get an A+.

Now a new US study from Harvard Medical School has added another very important health benefit to that impressive list above.

In the blood

In previous e-alerts we've seen how supplements of calcium and folate may significantly help cut the risk of colon cancer. According to research just published in the American Journal of the National Cancer Institute, it may be time to include vitamin B-6 in the line-up of nutrients that fight colon cancer.

A team of researchers from Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School examined blood samples provided by more than 32,800 subjects who participated in the Nurses Health Study from 1989 to 1990. Over that ten-year period nearly 200 of the subjects were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, while 410 subjects were found to have colon polyps.

The blood samples were tested for a form of vitamin B-6 known as P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) and then sorted into four groups, from lowest P5P concentration to highest. The average P5P level in the lowest group was 1.6 mg. The group with the highest concentration had nearly eight times as much P5P as the lowest group. (The recommended daily allowance for vitamin B-6 is 2 mg for men and 1.6 mg for women.)

When the four groups were measured against cases of colorectal cancer and polyps, researchers found a clear association between high P5P concentrations and a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. More specifically, those with the highest P5P concentrations had a 44 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer and nearly 60 percent lower risk of polyps compared to subjects with the lowest levels of P5P.

P5P is a more active form of B-6. If you are taking the regular form of B-6 (pyriodoxine) you will need to take a higher dosage as Dr Spreen explains below.

Fabulous stuff

When I checked in with US HSI Panellist Dr Allan Spreen about this study, he told me that vitamin B-6 is not the first nutrient that comes to mind for cancer prevention. But he did have this enthusiastic advice about supplementing with vitamin B-6:

B-6 is fabulous stuff. I use it as a diuretic (especially in women, and MOST especially if theres fluid retention associated with their monthly cycle).

In this study the researchers measured P5P, which is the more active form of B-6. Supplements of this form are very good, so less is needed than straight pyridoxine (whats considered the regular vitamin B-6), but its far more expensive. Its also not really necessary. I had tons of positive results (as did most everyone who used it clinically) long before pyridoxal-5-phosphate was available orally. Pyridoxine usually has positive effects on retained fluid starting at about 100 mg per day. (Retained fluid is what collects outside of the blood vessel space, ending up instead in the tissues, which makes your ankles swell, your fingers feel puffy, generally bloated, etc.)

When 100 milligrams/day doesnt work, I double it; failing that, I double it again (400 mg). Rarely, if ever, do I go above that. There have been reports of B-6 toxicity, which consists of numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers (which is also what a deficiency can do, oddly enough), but its hard to do. I did a literature search years ago and came up with only six cases. This toxicity requires in the neighbourhood of 2,000 mg daily for at least a month...doses as low as 1,000 mg can do it, but they require longer periods of time.

B-6 is definitely more effective in the company of magnesium - they work together intimately in the body. 100 mg or so of B-6 with 500 mg of magnesium is a good starting point (and ending for many). I do recommend a visit to a qualified natural health practitioner before starting any supplement programme.

Edible 6

All in all, Dr. Spreen says, B-6 is an amazing nutrient. The original B-6 guru was a doctor named Ellis, and his book on B-6 is still a magnificent read. The B-6 guru Dr. Spreen refers to is Dr John M. Ellis, and his book (available on amazon.co.uk) is titled Vitamin B6 Therapy: Natures Versatile Healer.

One final note: Studies have shown that ample amounts of fruits and vegetables may be a key factor in preventing precancerous colon polyps from developing into cancer. And this may be especially true of bananas, spinach and avocado, all of which contain vitamin B-6. Other foods that deliver B-6 include poultry, fish, meat and beans.