Vitamin B6 is important for metabolism, especially for the breakdown and build-up of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Vitamin B6 regulates the effect of certain hormones and is necessary for growth, blood production and proper functioning of the immune system and the nervous system.
Vitamin B6 is found in meat, eggs, fish, bread and grain products, potatoes, legumes, vegetables, milk, dairy products, and cheese.
With long-term daily use of high-dose supplements with vitamin B6, disorders of the nerves in the arms and legs can occur.
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin.
Different forms of vitamin B6
The chemical name of vitamin B6 is pyridoxine, but it can also occur in a slightly different form as pyridoxal or pyridoxamine. Whether these forms are linked to a phosphate, such as pyridoxine phosphate, pyridoxal phosphate, and pyridoxamine phosphate. In supplements, pyridoxine is usually linked to chloride: pyridoxine hydrochloride. These different forms of vitamin B6 are interchangeable. Eventually, they work the same in the body.
Intake of vitamin B6
All forms of Vitamin B6 are absorbed by the intestinal cells and converted into pyridoxal. It is transported via the blood to the liver where it is converted into the biologically active form of pyridoxal phosphate. In this form, vitamin B6 does its work in the body.
The intake of vitamin B6 from an average diet is about 75%. There are no major differences between the different forms of vitamin B6. The intake of vitamin B6 from a supplement is estimated at 95%.
Sources of vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is found in meat, eggs, fish, nuts, bread and grain products, legumes, vegetables, milk, and milk products.
Health effects
Vitamin B6 is important for metabolism, especially for the breakdown and build-up of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Vitamin B6 regulates the effect of certain hormones and is necessary for growth, blood production and proper functioning of the immune system and the nervous system.
Too little vitamin B6
Prolonged serious shortages can lead to anemia, nervous disorders and reduced resistance. In newborn babies, a shortage can lead to fits. In the Netherlands, a shortage of vitamin B6 hardly occurs.
Too much vitamin B6
With long-term daily use of supplements with more than 21 milligrams of vitamin B6, peripheral neuropathy may develop. This is a disorder of the nervous system, which can cause numbness, tingling or severe nerve pain in the hands and feet.
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