Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is an essential nutrient in the human diet and is naturally found in human milk. Maternal supplementation increases milk levels in a dose-dependent manner. The recommended maternal minimum daily pyridoxine intake during pregnancy and lactation is 2 mg. The recommended adequate daily intake for neonates and infants up to 6 months of age is 0.1 mg.[1-3] Intakes of 1 to 2 mg/kg pyridoxine daily are considered safe for neonates and infants receiving isoniazid for treatment or prevention of tuberculosis infection.[4] Mothers taking a supplemental dose of 7.5 to 20 mg daily to prevent or treat B6 deficiency should have milk levels that provide an adequate B6 intake for the exclusively breastfed infant. Lower doses increase milk levels somewhat, but may not be adequate if the mother has underlying B6 deficiency. Higher doses of 100 to 200 mg daily used to prevent or treat some B6-responsive diseases have not been studied during lactation but would not be expected to expose breastfed infants to a harmful amount.