Head-to-head evidence comparison — which supplement is right for you?
Vitamin B6 wins 1 of 3 categories. Both are solid choices — the best pick depends on your specific goals.
400-1600mg for mood; 600-1200mg for joints
On empty stomach, Morning and/or midday
Enteric-coated tablets (SAMe tosylate or butanedisulfonate)
25-100mg daily
Morning with food, Can take with other B vitamins
P-5-P (Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate)
2-6 weeks
4-8 weeks
4-8 weeks
2-4 weeks
1-2 cycles
Months of high doses
Comparison of concurrent, resistance, or aerobic training on body fat loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2025) · Meta analysis · n=1564
CT reduced significantly more fat mass compared to RT (MD: -1.09 kg [95% CI = -0.27 to -1.91]; p = 0.009).
Optimal duration of antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia in adults: a systematic review and duration-effect meta-analysis
BMJ open (2023) · Meta analysis · n=2399
We included nine trials (2399 patients with a mean (SD) age of 61.2 (22.1); 39% women).
Needling Point Location Used in Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
JAMA network open (2023) · Meta analysis · n=4379
In comparison with SATS, acupuncture was significantly associated with improvements in both pain (SMD, -0.33; 95% CI, -0.52 to -0.15) and function outcomes (SMD, -0.13; 95% CI, -0.25 to -0.02); however, there were no differences between acupuncture and SATV.
Dosage exploration of combined B-vitamin supplementation in stroke prevention: a meta-analysis and systematic review
The American journal of clinical nutrition (2024) · Meta analysis · n=76664
In areas without and with partial folic acid fortification, combined B-vitamin supplementation significantly reduced the risk of stroke by 34% [RR: 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50, 0.86] and 11% (RR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.00), respectively.
Effects of Vitamin B12 Supplementation on Cognitive Function, Depressive Symptoms, and Fatigue: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression
Nutrients (2021) · Meta analysis · n=6276
Further, meta-regression showed no significant associations of treatment effects with any of the potential predictors.
Vitamin and mineral supplementation for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in mid and late life
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2018) · Meta analysis · n=83000
We found that giving B vitamin supplements to cognitively healthy adults, mainly in their 60s and 70s, probably has little or no effect on global cognitive function at any time point up to 5 years (SMD values from -0.03 to 0.06) and may also have no effect at 5-10 years (SMD -0.01).
Vitamin B6 has a higher evidence score (9/10 vs 9/10) and wins in 1 of 3 categories.
For support mood, SAMe has a higher relevance score (90 vs 75).
No known interactions between SAMe and Vitamin B6 have been documented in our database. However, always consult a healthcare provider before combining supplements.