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A daily B6 vitamin pill could help battle depression, a study has suggested.

The nutrient, which is found in tuna, bananas and chickpeas, is believed to boost the production of chemical messengers found in the brain that are linked to a person's mood.

The NHS recommends a minimum of 1.4mg of the vitamin every day for men, whereas women need 1.2mg – both amounts are typically met with a normal diet.

But in the recent trial, participants who were given 100mg said their depressive symptoms largely decreased.

Vitamin B6, which is also known as pyridoxine, allows the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food, and is essential for maintaining metabolism, brain development and immune system function.

It is also involved in the formation of blood cells that carry oxygen around the body.

The vitamin is readily found at a low level in foods like potatoes, pork, poultry, whole grain cereals like brown rice, and eggs.

But taking high doses causes the B6 to accumulate in the blood and travel to sensory nerves throughout the body, creating a neurological risk, and people have been previously advised not to take more than 10mg a day unless advised by their doctor.

A daily B6 vitamin pill could help battle depression, a study has suggested

Taking more than 200mg a day for a long time can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs, a condition called peripheral neuropathy.

At the beginning of the trial, which was published in the journal of Depression and Anxiety, the 268 participants assessed their depression levels, alongside stress and anxiety, by answering a questionnaire that looked at how they emotionally responded to typical events.

They were then given either a 100mg tablet of B6, B12 or a placebo for the duration of a month.

Those taking the B6 tablets, which can cost as little as 7p each, and were depressed at the outset found their scores halving after the trial.

This was three times more impactful than the volunteers taking the placebo and five times that of those taking B12.

'It's a big reduction in depression from a statistical point of view. It's a very large and robust effect,' the lead author of the study, Dr David Field of the University of Reading, said.

B6 helped improve dopamine, serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid – all of which contribute to the regulation of emotion and moods – according to Dr Field.

'An increase in these neurotransmitters is the most likely reason why we found that taking a regular high dose of B6 for a month produced a significant reduction in depression symptoms in people who were experiencing them,' he added.

'Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the world, but many patients choose not to take existing drug treatments either due to the side-effects or because they find them ineffective.

'This study provides a proof of concept, but there's a really strong case now to take this forward into a large-scale clinical trial.'

The 'promising result' of the latest study is expected to pave the way for larger clinical trials that will look at the vitamin's impact on mood 'either on its own or alongside existing therapies'.

It was not clarified if the volunteers in the study were already taking anti-depressants but it was explained in the paper that the vitamin should be assessed alongside other drugs, rather than to replace them.

'The potential economic benefits of this intervention are huge, because depression costs the economy a lot of sick days and reduced productivity per year,' Dr Field said.

According to The Times, Dr Field recommended avoiding taking high doses of the chemical pyridoxine, that is used in supplements, and can cause the tingling in hands and feet.

Instead, he suggested those taking preventative doses to use the supplement which is made from pyridoxal phosphate, which is reported to have no known side effects.

In 2018, it was reported that B6 may help people better recall their dreams.

Taking a strong dose of the supplement for just five days improved people's abilities to remember their dreams by 64 per cent, a study found.