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Comment by deelowe | Hacker News Reader

The issue appears to be the 2000% DV of B6. This isn't the first I've heard of this (e.g. with supplements). Most energy drinks don't have this in them. Be careful with vitamins and minerals. More isn't always better.

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The form of vitamin B6 in supplements is pyroxidine hydrochloride, which at high levels (mostly >100mg/day) can cause peripheral neuropathy. So can zinc.

A lot of times it's overlooked that the form of the vitamin is different from what the body usually receives/produces.

I used to occasionally drink Spike Shooter which contains 25,000% of B12. Supposedly you can't OD on B12 without a predisposed genetic condition. Still, I have no regrets moving away from energy drinks, I found my desire for them was simply a symptom of a bigger problem like not getting enough sleep.

While it's generally true that water-soluble vitamins are hard to overdose on, it's still true that you at the very least have an abnormally high (and possibly toxic) level of the compound in your bloodstream until your kidneys can excrete it. In the case of B6, it apparently takes years of overdose before the sensorimotor neuropathy becomes apparent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6#Toxicity

I was really surprised that the B6 was the issue. I always thought that since B vitamins were water soluble they didn't build up in the body, never thought they would be harmful at such mega doses. Will definitely re-think vitamin supplements now.

In case anyone is curious, Monster has 200% DV of B6 in a 16 oz can.

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