| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | |||||
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- Why vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is good for you
- Important vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) facts
- Groups at risk of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency
- Symptoms of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) and health
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) in foods
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) recommended daily intake (RDI)
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) works best with
- Overdosage, toxicity and cautions for vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
Why vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is good for you
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is required to convert carbohydrates from the form they are stored, into the form that can be used for energy. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) is also needed to turn the proteins that are eaten (ie amino acids) into the proteins the body can use.
Types of proteins the body needs are things like haemoglobin (this is what carries oxygen in the red blood cells), hormones, neurotransmitters, prostaglandins (hormone-type substances) and enzymes.
Important vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) facts
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is lost through the milling of grains to make them white. To compensate, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and other B vitamins are added back to flour, cornmeal and other grain products
- Wholewheat grains still contain all the vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) intact
- Up to 70% of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is lost through freezing
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) dissolves in water, so cook foods in as little water as possible, and try to use the liquid – don’t throw it away
- Good levels of magnesium are required (at least the RDA) to enable vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) to work effectively in the body. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is also helped by vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin C and selenium
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is required to activate Vitamin B6, so if supplements are taken the quantity of Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) should be nearly exactly the same as the amount of Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine).
Groups at risk of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency
- Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers – much of the nutrients eaten are passed onto the child and extra may be needed each day to top up supplies of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Strict vegetarians or vegans – milk and dairy products contain very little vitamin B6 (pyridoxine); most fruit and vegetables have little or no vitamin B6 (pyridoxine); the only non-meat sources of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) are nuts and whole grains
- Women taking contraceptive pills – these drugs can interfere with vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) absorption, so supplementation may be required
- Alcoholics – absorb less of some of the B vitamins and may not eat properly
- Smokers – tobacco blocks the body's usage of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- People taking certain prescription drugs – some drugs make vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) get excreted quickly
Talk to a medical professional about vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplements BEFORE taking them.
Symptoms of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency
- Getting ill more often – the immune system is compromised somewhat by deficiency in vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Anaemia – the cells are not carrying enough oxygen in people with anaemia and therefore are not working properly
Talk to a medical professional about vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplements BEFORE taking them.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) and health
- Immune booster - while all the B vitamins are needed to ensure the immune system works properly, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is the key. Without it, the body cannot make the special infection-fighting antibodies that fight illness. People with low immunity – alcoholics, the elderly, people with various illness usually have low vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) levels
- Asthma - some people with asthma benefit from taking vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplements, possible because their bodies don’t use it properly to start with. Extra vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) may take their levels closer to normal, which cuts back on wheezing and reduces the number of asthmatic attacks
- Preventing diabetic complications - people with diabetes sometimes get diabetic neuropathy – a painful nerve condition. The symptoms are very similar to vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency – and many diabetics are low on vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). A connection? Some researchers believe so
- PMS relief - some studies show that vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) helps with PMS symptoms, yet other studies show that it does nothing. Some studies have shown that women have found relief from taking 50mg of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) in the days before a period
- Cancer drug toxicity - the nasty side effects of some cancer drugs are often reduced by vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplementation
- Kidney stones - people with the calcium oxalate type of kidney stones may find that kidney stones recurrence is prevented by vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and magnesium supplements
- Depression - people with depression may have low levels of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and supplemention may help. Depressed people with normal vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) levels are not helped by vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplemention
- Morning sickness - a small daily dose of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) seems to work for some women to give them relief from morning sickness
Talk to a medical professional about vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplements BEFORE taking them.
CURRENT RESEARCH
- Melanoma - vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)may help stop the growth of melanoma – a very dangerous type of skin cancer. This is an exciting new development, because melanoma is hard to treat. This treatment is still in the experimental stage
- Infertility and cancer - current research is working out if vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) can help some forms of infertility and cancer
Talk to a medical professional about vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplements BEFORE taking them.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)in food
| FOOD | AMOUNT |
Vitamin B6 (mg) |
|---|---|---|
Beef liver |
85g |
0.78 |
Potato, baked with skin |
1 medium |
0.70 |
Banana |
1 medium |
0.66 |
Avocado |
½ medium |
0.40 |
Pork, roasted |
85g |
0.39 |
Wheatgerm |
¼ cup |
0.38 |
>
Lentils |
1 cup |
0.35 |
Chicken breast |
85g |
0.34 |
>
Raisins, golden |
2/3 cup |
0.32 |
Navy beans |
1 cup |
0.30 |
>
Tuna, canned in water |
85g |
0.28 |
Mango |
1 medium |
0.28 |
>
Rice, brown |
1 cup |
0.28 |
Sweet potato, baked w/skin |
1 medium |
0.28 |
>
Turkey breast, with skin |
85g |
0.28 |
Corn, kernels |
½ cup |
0.26 |
>
Chickpeas |
1 cup |
0.23 |
Prunes, dried |
10 medium |
0.22 |
>
Kidney beans |
1 cup |
0.21 |
Flounder |
85g |
0.20 |
>
Rice, white |
1 cup |
0.19 |
Beef, mince |
85g |
0.17 |
>
Cottage cheese, low fat |
1 cup |
0.15 |
Black beans |
1 cup |
0.12 |
>
Yoghurt, low fat |
85g |
0.11 |
Milk, low fat |
1 cup |
0.10 |
>
Apricots, dried |
10 halves |
0.06 |
Cheese, cheddar |
28g |
0.02 |
>
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) recommended daily intake (RDI)
| RDA | lifestage | age | amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| INFANTS | 0-6mths 7-12mths |
0.1mg 0.3mg |
|
| CHILDREN | 1-3yrs 4-8yrs |
0.5mg 0.6mg |
|
| CHILDREN | 9-13yrs male: 14-18yrs female: 14-18yrs |
1.0mg 1.3mg 1.2mg |
|
| ADULTS | 9-50yrs | 1.3 | |
| SENIORS | male: 51+yrs female: 51+yrs |
1.7mg 1.5mg |
|
| PREGNANT | 1.9mg | ||
| LACTATING | 2.0mg | ||
| TOLERABLE UPPER LIMIT | lifestage | age | amounT |
| INFANTS | 0-12mths | n/a | |
| CHILDREN | 1-3yrs 4-8yrs |
30mg 40mg |
|
| CHILDREN | 9-13yrs 14-18yrs |
60mg 80mg |
|
| ADULTS | 19-50yrs | 100mg | |
| SENIORS | 51+yrs |
100mg | |
| PREGNANT | <18yrs 19-50yrs |
80mg 100mg |
|
| LACTATING | <18yrs 19-50yrs |
80mg 100mg |
|
| TOXIC LEVELS | >100mg | ||
The tolerable upper limits should only be taken for short periods and only under medical supervision.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) works best with
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin B5
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Zinc
- Essential Fatty Acids
- Linoleic acid
Overdosage, toxicity and cautions for vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
Be very careful when taking vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplements – this is one of the few water-soluble vitamins that you can actually overdose on!
Too much vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) can cause the following neurological problems:
- numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
- trouble walking
The symptoms usually go away once supplementation with vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is reduced or even ceased, but sometimes, they can be permanent!
The following CAUTIONS should be carefully noted:
- Large doses of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) can make the drug Phentoin (Dilantin - which helps control epilepsy), break down too quickly in the body.
references
- Bendich A. The potential for dietary supplements to reduce premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms. J Am Coll Nutr. 2000;19(1):3-12
- Bernstein AL. Vitamin B6 in clinical neurology. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1990, Vol 585, Issue 1 250-260
- Doll H, Brown S, Thruston A, Vessey M. Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and the premenstrual syndrome: a randomized crossover trial. J R College General Practice, 1989 Sep;39(326):364-8
- Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Pantothenic acid. Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 1998:357-373
- Lumeng L, Li T-K. Vitamin B6 Metabolism in Chronic Alcohol Abuse. J Clin Invest. 1974 March; 53(3): 693–704
- Naurath HJ, et al. Effects of vitamin B12, folate, and vitamin B6 supplements in elderly people with normal serum vitamin concentrations. Lancet, 1995 Jul 8;346(8967):85-9
- Office of Dietary Supplements USA - has the official USA RDI for all vitamins (these are also adopted by Australia), accessed 9 August 2005
- Osiecki, Henry, The Nutrient Bible 2002, BioConcepts Publishing
- Robinson K, et al. Low Circulating Folate and Vitamin B6 Concentrations: Risk Factors for Stroke, Peripheral Vascular Disease, and Coronary Artery Disease. Circulation. 1998;97:437-443
- Wyatt KM, Dimmock PW, Jones PW, et al. Efficacy of vitamin B-6 in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: systematic review. BMJ 5-22-1999;318(7195):1375-1381
Last reviewed: 11 January 2007 || Last updated: 27 September 2007
NOTE: Mega doses of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, or other supplements cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of nutrient supplement.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
