Survey study, 1988
Does vitamin B6 help treat premenstrual syndrome?
Yes, vitamin B6 appears to help most women with PMS. At higher daily doses (160-200 mg), 60 percent experienced good improvement with no significant remaining symptoms, and 70-88 percent experienced at least some useful improvement.
What they did
Researchers reviewed records from 630 women with PMS who attended a clinic between 1976 and 1983. Women were treated with vitamin B6 at doses starting at 40-100 mg daily early in the study, then increasing to 120-200 mg later.
What they found
At daily doses of 100-150 mg, 40 percent or more of women had a good response with no significant remaining complaints, and 65-68 percent had at least some positive response. At daily doses of 160-200 mg, 60 percent had a good response and 70-88 percent had at least some positive response. No women reported symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.
What it means for you
Vitamin B6 appears to help reduce PMS symptoms in most women, with higher doses being more effective. However, this is a retrospective review without a control group, so improvements may not all be due to the vitamin B6 alone. The study only included women already taking treatment at a clinic, so results may not apply to all women with PMS.
630
women studied
60%
good response at 160-200 mg daily
70-88%
any positive response at 160-200 mg daily
About the study
- Original title
- Pyridoxine in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a retrospective survey in 630 patients
- Authors
- Brush MG, Bennett T, Hansen K
- Journal
- The British journal of clinical practice
- Year
- 1988
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 630
- What was tested
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) at daily doses ranging from 40 to 200 mg
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-1241.1988.tb08625.x
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