Vitamin B6 is found in liver, fish such as tuna and salmon, chicken, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pistachios, potatoes, bananas and spinach.

NEW DELHI: A vitamin that helps the body process proteins and regulate important chemical reactions may offer a new clue to why young adults suffer strokes. A study by researchers in Bengaluru has found significantly lower levels of vitamin B6 in young adults who had an ischaemic stroke than in healthy people of a similar age.Ahead of World Stroke Day on October 29, the findings draw attention to a possible factor associated with stroke in young adults. The study compared 171 young adults who had suffered an ischaemic stroke, caused by a blocked blood vessel in the brain, with 249 healthy controls.Median vitamin B6 levels in stroke patients were 40.9 nmol/L, compared with 65.6 nmol/L in the control group. Vitamin B6 insufficiency, defined by the researchers as levels below 30 nmol/L, was found in 12.3% of stroke patients, compared with just 0.7% of healthy controls.Vitamin B6 is found in liver, fish such as tuna and salmon, chicken, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pistachios, potatoes, bananas and spinach.Prof Manjari Tripathi, head of the department of neurology at AIIMS, said vitamin B6 is essential for homocysteine metabolism. “Low vitamin B6 levels can impair this process, allowing homocysteine to rise. Elevated homocysteine can damage blood vessels, promote inflammation and contribute to clot formation, increasing stroke risk. Maintaining adequate vitamin B6 levels through a balanced diet is important,” she said.The Bengaluru study adds to evidence linking vitamin B6 levels with stroke risk, but whether improving these levels can prevent strokes remains unclear. Dr Pravin Gupta, chairman, Marengo Asia international institute of neuro and spine, said the study was significant because vitamin B6 levels can be measured through a blood test. “However, this study shows an association, not proof that vitamin B6 supplements can prevent stroke. Further research is needed,” he said.The researchers, led by scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, found that lower vitamin B6 levels were independently associated with higher odds of ischaemic stroke even after accounting for other factors. Among stroke patients, vitamin B6 levels were strongly inversely correlated with homocysteine, an amino acid associated with blood vessel health.

Published in Clinica Chimica Acta in 2026, the case-control study adds to research into factors associated with stroke among younger adults. However, it cannot establish whether low vitamin B6 contributes to stroke, results from other health or dietary factors, or reflects an underlying process. Further studies are needed to validate the findings.The results do not establish that vitamin B6 supplements can prevent stroke or that routine testing for the vitamin should be recommended for young adults.