PYRIDOXAL PHOSPHATE - the active form of B6 question

[Missy0202]

My bloodwork shows that I am high in B6 yet I dont supplement with B6. Normal is 3.4 - 65.20 and mine is 121.3

To decrease B6 it says to stop taking it.... so I am stumped. Any info would be appreciated

[park_bear]

Hi Missy,

If you are taking levodopa medication and not supplementing B6 (in any form including multivitamin or B complex) I too am stumped as to why you would have high B6, because under this circumstance it would be expected to be low. The B6 content of unsupplemented foods is in submilligram quantities.

I did find this: nature.com/articles/s41598-... " highly elevated plasma vitamin B6 levels were seen primarily upon regular energy drink intake". If you are consuming anything of that nature worth checking to make sure it is not supplemented with the inactive pyridoxine form, which is toxic in quantity.

The active form of B6, as in your title, is pyridoxal-5-phosphate, P5P or PLP for short. Details in my writing here, which you are probably already aware of: healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

As stated, inactive pyridoxine form can be toxic, but that is not the case with the active form. According to LabCorp: labcorp.com/tests/004655/vi... "Pyridoxal 5'Phosphate (PLP), the most clinically significant coenzyme form of vitamin B6, is the form most commonly measured in plasma."

Hopefully this is the case. If so, high levels of the active form are nothing to worry about.

-PB

[Missy0202 in reply to park_bear]

I can always count on you park_bear Thank you! I used to take Homocysteine factors which contained 25mg of B6 (P5P) but seized it weeks before this blood test. I take L/C but no other B complex. Just B1 and B12 as Adenosylcobalamin

[park_bear in reply to Missy0202]

A surprisingly long half-life: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megav...

"While vitamin B6 is water-soluble, it has a half-life of 25–33 days and accumulates in the body where it is stored in muscle, plasma, the liver, red blood cells and bound to proteins in tissues."

So the B6 that you had stopped taking weeks before was still hanging around!

[Missy0202 in reply to park_bear]

Mystery solved! You're invaluable PB!

[Jennyjenny2 in reply to park_bear]

Hi park_bear

My husband’s recent B6 level is 350, normal being 20-190 (Australian version), and he is also not taking B6 supplements or drinking energy drinks.

His homocysteine for previous two blood tests was 9.9, but has dropped slightly to 9.4, probably due to elevated B6?

His B12 has risen slightly from 609 to 734 in the last 18 months (probably irrelevant).

How can I tell by the pathology report if a high B6 level is active or inactive pyridoxine?

He is to have another blood test done in six weeks, non fasting this time, to check the B6 and also renal function.

[park_bear in reply to Jennyjenny2]

To be certain of what the reported B6 level is actually measuring you would need to contact the test lab, unless they say on their website.

[Jennyjenny2 in reply to park_bear]

Thank you so much!

[Jennyjenny2]

Hi Missy

My husband’s blood test has also recently come back and his B6 is high at 350, normal range 20-190 (obviously different way of measuring in Australia).

He also doesn’t take any B6 supplements or drink energy drinks, and the doctor says it’s toxic and to retest in another six weeks.

I’ll let you know the outcome.

[bookish]

It could be a methylation problem or genetic issue in one-carbon metabolism - same as B12 and B9 can be high in some but still deficient cellularly. This may give you some pointers for further investigation easy-immune-health.com/vita.... Cheers

[Missy0202 in reply to bookish]

Thank you so much for the detailed info in that link. It was one of the easier things to understand posted on this forum 🤣. I had the MTHFR genotype panel done and I was negative for both the C677T Mutation and the A1298C Mutation

[bookish in reply to Missy0202]

Your are welcome! MTHFR is only one of several possibilities. I have issues with COMT and MTR, both of which affect that very intricate cycle, and they are finding new genetic ones for B12 all the time. So don't rule it out just yet.

[Missy0202 in reply to bookish]

Thanks again

My COMT indicated LOW enzyme activity. Is that significant?

[bookish in reply to Missy0202]

Possibly. None of this is as easy as 'have a specific SNP, have a specific problem' and there are pros and cons to everything. Plus this is all theoretical, as the SNP may not have expressed. I also have homozygous slow COMT, and I found magnesium helped a lot, and I mean a lot, but I overdid it to begin with and felt quite odd so take it slow, please! I don't know if slow COMT will affect how you are processing B6, but it may turn out not to be the only SNP you have in the area (like me). What I have read is that you need adequate B6 to help with slightly speeding up a slow COMT. You are trying to gently light a flame here, not throw a gallon of petrol at it. Try mygenefood.com/genes/brain-...

and nutritiongenome.com/what-is...

Cheers

[Missy0202 in reply to bookish]

oh wow.. ok... lots to learn. Big thanks!