4 minVitamin B6 has a major impact on your health. It helps your body perform important tasks such as converting food into energy and supporting your nervous system. Vitamin B6 is also part of the powerful B complex. Would you like to know how this vitamin plays a role in your daily life and where you can find it in your diet? Read on and discover the benefits of vitamin B6!
In this article, you will learn
- The different forms of vitamin B6
- Why vitamin B6 is so important for your body
- Which foods contain vitamin B6
- What you may notice if you have a vitamin B6 deficiency or excess
- The recommended amount of vitamin B6 for different ages
What is vitamin B6?
Vitamin B6 is an essential, water-soluble vitamin that is important for, among other things, metabolism, the nervous system and the immune system. Vitamin B6 is also called pyridoxine, but it also occurs in other forms.
Forms of vitamin B6
The vitamin occurs in various forms, such as pyridoxine, pyridoxamine and pyridoxal. Supplements often contain pyridoxine hydrochloride, an easily absorbable form that is linked to chloride. Although the forms of B6 differ technically, they are largely utilised in the same way by the body. After absorption in the intestine, they are converted into pyridoxal and then activated in the liver to 5-pyridoxal phosphate (P5P), the biologically active form that is actually effective in the body.
The absorption of vitamin B6 from food is around 75%, regardless of the form. Supplements are usually absorbed even better, up to 95%.
What is it good for
Vitamin B6 plays a role in more than 100 enzymatic reactions in the body:
- It is necessary for the conversion of carbohydrate reserves into glucose. Glucose ensures stable blood sugar levels between meals.
- It is important for the conversion of fats, which ensure rapid transmission of nerve impulses
- It plays a role in the building of amino acids and protein synthesis and is also important for the skin
- It plays a role in the formation of neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and dopamine)
- It supports the immune system
- It plays a role in the production of blood cells
B6 also helps regulate hormonal activity, which makes it relevant for mood swings or menstrual complaints, for example.
Cooperation with magnesium
Vitamin B6 also works closely with magnesium: it helps improve the absorption of magnesium in the body. This synergy means that the combination of both nutrients is often used to support energy, nerve function and relaxation.
Vitamin B6 in food
Vitamin B6 is found in meat, eggs, fish, cereal products, potatoes, milk, nuts and vegetables. Please note: vitamin B6 is sensitive to light and heat, so some of the vitamin may be lost when cooking in water.
Vitamin B6 deficiency
You can recognise a vitamin B6 deficiency by the following symptoms:
- Anaemia
- Tingling sensation in the hands and feet
- Muscle cramps and tremors (also in babies)
- Irritability, anxiety and insomnia
Vitamin B6 excess
An excess of vitamin B6 due to prolonged use of high doses of supplements (more than 21 milligrams per day) can lead to nerve problems such as numbness or tingling in the hands and feet. This does not apply to vitamin B6 from food, as an excess from food does not occur.
Recommended amount
Recommended daily amount for adults:
- Adult women: 1.5 mg
- Pregnant women: 1.8 mg
- Breastfeeding women: 1.9 mg
- Adult men up to 50 years of age: 1.5 mg
- Adult men 50 years of age and older: 1.8 mg
Recommended daily amount for babies, toddlers and children:
- From 6-11 months: 0.2 mg
- From 1-3 years: 0.4 mg
- From 4-8 years: 0.7 mg
- From 9-13 years: 1.1 mg
- From 14-17 years: 1.5 mg
The acceptable upper limit for vitamin B6 for adults is 12 milligrams per day.
For children, these limits are slightly lower:
- From 1-3 years: 3.2 mg
- From 4-6 years: 4.5 mg
- From 7-10 years: 6.1 mg
- From 11-14 years: 8.6 mg
- From 15-17 years: 10.7 mg
Need a vitamin B6 supplement?
Do you find it difficult to eat a healthy and varied diet? Or do you eat a lot of ready meals? Then you may be deficient in vitamin B6. Growing children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding also need more of this vitamin. Certain medications, such as the contraceptive pill, smoking, alcohol and coffee can affect the vitamin B6 levels in your body. Cooking or heating food can reduce vitamin B6, which can contribute to deficiencies. Supplements can then offer a solution.
Interaction with other vitamins
Vitamin B6 works closely with other B vitamins, especially B12 and folic acid. A good balance between these vitamins is important, for example in the processing of homocysteine, a substance that in excessive concentrations is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. As mentioned earlier, B6 is also involved in the absorption of magnesium and plays a role in energy metabolism.
