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 not necessarily sufficient. 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. High-dose pyridoxine does not appear to be effective for lactation suppression.