Menopause Mood Swings & Vitamin B6

While approaching menopause, roughly 50 percent of women will experience bouts of moodiness. Menopausal mood swings cause tearfulness, sadness and even anger for little or no reason. A healthy diet that provides plenty of vitamin B6 can help regulate mood.

Menopausal Moodiness

• Fluctuations in hormones lead to moodiness in menopausal women. Women who experience these fluctuations are more prone to having little control over their moods. Feelings of anxiety and depression are common.

Vitamin B6

• Hormonal fluctuations can deplete the body of vitamin B6, which is instrumental in converting tryptophan to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps to elevate mood.

Food Sources of B6

• If you need extra vitamin B6, you should eat more yellowfin tuna, bananas, chicken or turkey breast, lean beef tenderloin and salmon and halibut.

Vitamin B6 Supplements

• You can also supplement your vitamin B6 intake with a multivitamin, a B complex vitamin, or a supplement that contains only B6. Vitamin B6 may be labeled pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, pyridoxine hydrochloride, or pyridoxal-5-phosphate.

Vitamins and Minerals for Moodiness

• The family of B vitamins helps brain and neurological functioning. Zinc works to calm both the brain and body, and magnesium is helpful in lifting mood in depressed people.