All You Ever Wanted To Know About Vitamin B6 - Condensed

What Is Vitamin B6 And It’s Benefits

Vitamin B6 is a water soluble vitamin in the vitamin B complex family. Pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) is the active form and is a co-factor or co-enzyme in many bodily reactions of amino acid metabolism. This nutrient is also necessary for the enzymatic reaction governing the release of glucose from glycogen in the body.

PLP has the most importance in human metabolism including the following metabolic processes:

• amino acid, glucose and lipid metabolism
• neurotransmitter synthesis (production of serotonin from amino acid, serotonin suppression often causes depression in individuals)
• histamine synthesis
• hemoglobin synthesis and function (hemoglobin is found in red blood cells and is critical to their ability to transport oxygen throughout the body)
• gene expression.

Vitamin B6 is also required for the conversion of tryptophan to niacin, an essential nutrient. This vitamin has an effect on the binding of steroidal hormones, thus decreasing their effects and may also have implications for diseases affected by them such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Natural Sources Of Vitamin B6

Widely distributed in foods in both “free” and “bound” forms, vitamin B6 content can suffer more than a 50% loss during cooking, storage and processing depending on the form of the vitamin present in the food. Milk for example can lose 30-70% of its vitamin B6 content when dried.  Certain plant foods contain a unique form of B6 called pyridoxine glucoside. This form of vitamin B6 appears to be about half as bio-available as vitamin B6 from other food sources or supplements. Vitamin B6 in a mixed diet has been found to be approximately 75% bio-available. In most cases including foods that are rich in vitamin B6 should supply a sufficient amount of the vitamin to prevent deficiency, however those who follow a strict vegetarian or vegan diet might need to increase intake by eating foods fortified with vitamin B6.

Good sources of Vitamin B6 include the following:

• Fortified cereal, 1 cup - 0.5 to 2.5 mg
• Banana, 1 medium - 0.43 mg
• Salmon, wild, cooked, 3 oz – 0.48 mg
• Turkey, without skin, cooked, 3 oz – 0.39 mg
• Chicken, light meat without skin cooked, 3 oz - 0.51 mg
• Russet potato, baked with skin on, 1 medium, - 0.70 mg
• Spinach, cooked, 1 cup, - 0.44 mg
• Hazelnuts, dry roasted, 1 oz - 0.18 mg
• Vegetable juice cocktail, 6 oz – 0.26 mg

As usual you should always verify all nutrient content of your dietary intake from a reputable source.

The recommended daily allowances for Vitamin B6 are:

Is Vitamin B6 Deficiency Possible

Severe deficiency of vitamin B6 is rare. Alcoholics and elderly are thought to be at the most risk of this deficiency due to low dietary intakes and impaired metabolism of the vitamin. In the early 50’s seizures were noted in infants as the result of sever B6 deficiency due to an error in the manufacture of infant formula; abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns have been noted in some studies of vitamin B6 deficiency as well as other neurological symptoms such as irritability, depression and confusion. Additionally symptoms that may accompany this deficiency are inflammation of the tongue, sores or ulcers of the mouth and ulcers of the skin at the corners of the mouth. Impaired glucose tolerance and conjunctivitis have also been noted in deficient people.

As well as causative dietary issues for deficiency certain medical conditions and treatments are often sources of deficiency such as renal patients undergoing dialysis and patients taking medications for anti-convulsants and corticosteroids.

Is Supplementation Necessary

Research is currently ongoing as to treatment of various issues via Vitamin B6 including PMS. Vitamin B6 treatments have been found on a small scale to reduce water retention, moodiness/depression, fatigue, irritability and breast tenderness symptoms of PMS that occur sometime after ovulation and subside at the onset of a woman’s monthly period. It is also used for nausea prevention in pregnant women and to alleviate the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Since B6 can be effective in helping with a range of problems, supplementation is sometimes desirable (though will usually be unnecessary).

Side Effects Of Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is generally safe when obtained naturally, excessive supplementation may cause some side effects such as tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, therefore when taking vitamin B6 supplements make sure the dosage is between 50 and 100mg per day as this is normally considered safe.

Final Thoughts

Vitamin B6 can be helpful in many ways and is easily and safely supplemented in the form of a fortified multivitamin or B vitamin complex with very little risk. Some expert believe that taking vitamin B6 by itself rather than in a B complex can be more effective although there is no conclusive evidence as yet.