Vitamin B6 distinguishes its importance in perinatal nutrition with the results of a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology demonstrating that high levels of vitamin B6 prior to becoming pregnant may boost conception rates and reduce the risk of losing the baby during the first trimester.

Lead author Alayne Ronnenberg from the University of Massachusetts Amherst states, “We found that poor preconception vitamin B6 status was associated with increased risk of early pregnancy loss and reduced probabilities of conception and clinical pregnancy in a prospective cohort of young Chinese women.”

It is not surprising that literature is emerging that elucidates the important role played by vitamin B6 in conception and early pregnancy. Vitamin B6 represents a highly important group of compounds ubiquitous in all living organisms. Vitamin B6 is part of coenzymes used in protein and fat metabolism. It is required to convert tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (another B vitamin) and to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Additionally, vitamin B6 is required to make heme (the non-protein part of hemoglobin). It is also required to make DNA and RNA. It reduces cellular stress and in its active form (there are three forms of vitamin B6) participates as a cofactor in greater than 100 biochemical reactions!

Many reactions in the body require cofactors whose structures include vitamins and minerals. When a deficiency of a vitamin or mineral is present, the cofactor cannot form and the enzyme dependent upon the cofactor is unable to serve its purpose. For example, a deficiency of vitamin B6 causes a decrease in the levels of vitamin B6-dependent enzymes (ornithine aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase). A deficiency of these enzymes means there is an inability of the body to move nitrogen safely around to form new amino acids which the body can then incorporate into proteins or nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Alterations in amino acid availability results in altered or incomplete protein synthesis in the body, including the development and growth of the nucleus of cells! Vitamin B6 is not a good nutrient in which to be deficient when trying to conceive and nourish a fetus, which requires nucleic acids for the duplication of genetic material.

In addition to being involved as cofactors in enzymes that regulate protein synthesis, vitamin B6 is involved in reactions that transfer methyl groups in the body. Vitamin B12 and folic acid play interrelated roles with vitamin B6 to maintain healthy blood levels of homocysteine (high levels are linked to inflammation) and to ensure adequate hemoglobin production for the fetus: just two examples of functions that depend upon the transfer of methyl groups.

Conception and pregnancy are a time of rapid cell growth and development, and enzymes that are dependent upon many nutrients, including vitamin B6, drive the reactions that build the tissues, cell by cell, to form a baby. In addition to the deleterious effects of vitamin B6 deficiency in the mother on the formation of new cells, a deficiency of maternal vitamin B6 may also induce an inflammatory state in the fetus that could possibly account for the increased risk of miscarriage seen in the vitamin B6 deficient group. Fetal exposure to elevated maternal blood levels of homocysteine (that result from vitamin B6 deficiency and which are known to induce the production of inflammatory substances) may be more harmful than previously recognized.

Substantiation of this research may propel the importance of adequate intake of vitamin B6 in the preconception period. Fortunately, vitamin B6 is found in meats, fish, poultry, potatoes, legumes, non-citrus fruits, fortified cereals, liver, and soy products. Most other fruits and vegetables contribute a good amount of vitamin B6 when compared to the calories provided. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adult males and females is 1.3 mg/day, and several servings of B6 rich foods are needed to meet the RDA. The recommended intake per day for pregnancy and lactation are 1.9 and 2.0 mg/day respectively.

Because vitamin B6 is an exception to the water soluble vitamins in that it is stored in high amounts in the muscle, a Tolerable Upper Limit of intake has been set at 80 mg/day if less than 18 years of age and pregnant or lactating and 100 mg/day if over 18 and pregnant or lactating. Most prenatal supplements include 2 to 3 mg of vitamin B6 per capsule. Preconception vitamin B6 status is critical (as with folic acid), so efforts must be focused to improve diets and start prenatal supplements prior to conception.

Therefore women, beginning in adolescence and continuing throughout their childbearing years, should be mindful to eat well, especially if planning to conceive.

In other words, be good to your baby before and after it’s conceived!