Vitamin B6, also called Pyridoxine or Pyridoxal Phosphate, is the most quickly metabolized member of the B-vitamin family. It too is a water soluble vitamin. Because of its rapid metabolism and solubility, it travels throughout the body very quickly. So fast in fact that it takes only about 8 hours for this vitamin to pass completely through. It is therefore very important that this vitamin is replenished regularly.
Like the rest of the B-vitamins, Pyridoxine plays a role in the metabolism process that converts proteins, fats and carbohydrates into a form of energy the body can use. Vitamin B6 helps produce healthy hemoglobin by making more iron available. Even more impressive, this vitamin plays a role in the production of over 60 different hormones, enzymes, prostaglandins and neurotransmitters. Vitamin B6 is directly involved in the production of the mood, sleep and appetite regulator called serotonin.
Vitamin B6 can help prevent the formation of painful kidney stones and adequate quantities will help promote a healthy immune system. It helps lower the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. This is a very important benefit because fatty plaque deposits are less likely to form on artery walls, greatly reducing the risks of heart attack. It’s believed that the way Vitamin B6 joins together with Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 also helps reduce the risk of heart attack. Together this combination may lower homocysteine levels.
Sources of Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is found in many of the same foods in which the other B vitamins are found. Poultry, pork, fish, milk, eggs, nuts, seeds, brown rice, whole grains, bananas, carrots, avocados, soybeans and whole grains are a few of the sources.
Women need 1.6 milligrams of Vitamin B6 each day and men need to take 2 milligrams. One of the most important things to know about Vitamin B6 or Pyridoxine is it is one of the few vitamins that, taken in excess, can actually be toxic. Taking more than 2 grams a day can result in irreversible damage to the nerve endings and to the entire neurological system. Although up to 500 mg/day is considered high, this level still is considered safe.
Symptoms of Vitamin B6 Deficiency
People who are experiencing a Vitamin B6 deficiency suffer from symptoms that include apathy, moodiness, depression, fatigue, hair loss, insomnia, a loss of appetite, dry or cracked skin on the tongue or lips and anemia. This deficiency can also cause the nervous system to completely break down. Insufficient levels of Vitamin B6 are especially troublesome in children and babies, both of whom are more vulnerable to this type of deficiency. If left untreated, affected individuals can go into a convulsion, or become irritable, or anemic.
People who are pregnant, people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol, the elderly, teenagers, and women who take the birth control pill are more vulnerable to developing a Vitamin B6 deficiency than others. The reason has to do with how each group impacts the body’s ability to absorb this very important vitamin.
By: John Spencer Ellis
Archive for October, 2009
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
October 30th, 2009Benefits Of Taking Vitamin B2
October 29th, 2009For young kids and everybody else, health is wealth. Usually if not hearing the line, eat your vegetable you’ll hear the phrase, don’t forget to take your vitamins before going to school or for work. Vitamins are helpful in all our internal systems processes, together with minerals that we get from the food that we eat, most importantly, the green leafy vegetable.
It keeps our body strong and healthy. As we grow older, our need for these vitamins grows more. That is why we buy multivitamin supplements. Here we will discuss one of the Vitamin B complex, the vitamin B2.
B2 also known as Riboflavin, similar with the rest of the B complex is a water soluble stored in our body responsible for processing amino acids and fats, it helps convert carbohydrates into adenosine triphosphate, which is also known as the fuel the body needs and it activates vitamin B6 and folic acid. Like B1, it also acts as an antioxidant. This means that B2 is required in our body daily.
Although they say B2 and all other B complex can easily be absorbed, usually the body only gets very few of it. One major cause is the process of how it is cooked. Heat easily reduces the amount of vitamins in all foods. This is why vitamin supplements are recommended.
Riboflavin eases watery eye fatigue and is really helpful in treatment and prevention of cataracts. B2 is also needed in the digestive tract keeping the mucus membrane healthy and helps absorb iron and B6 much easier. Not only that, riboflavin is also used for the health of the hair, nails and skin.
When you are experiencing cracks and sores at the corners of your mouth, eye disorders, swelling of the mouth and tongue and skin lesions, this means that you are suffering from a vitamin B2 deficiency. Other symptoms also include dizziness, hair loss, dermatitis, insomnia, poor digestion, retarded growth, light sensitivity, burning feet and slow mental responses.
B2 or Riboflavin had been used in referral to individual health concerns like anemia, canker sores, cataracts, migraine or headaches, Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell anemia and preeclamsia to pregnant women.
For health purposes here are examples of foods where you can get B2. It is present in dairy products, organ meats, eggs, cheese, whole grains and of course leafy vegetables. It can also be found in fishes, legumes, and yogurt. The average amount that an individual should take in of the B2 is 1.2 mg per day for females, and 1.6 mg per day for males.
However, multivitamin supplements contain 20-25 mg. This is more than the body needs but nothing to worry about because too much intake of vitamin B2 is not as harmful as other overdoses of other vitamins. The only side effect is a normal yellow discoloration of the urine and nothing more. This is not dangerous.
But, for better results, it is highly recommended that you take in vitamin B2 with the other vitamin B complex especially vitamins B1, B3 and B6 because it is what works hand in hand with. Better take a prescribed B complex supplement available in most drug stores.
As precautionary measures, it is important that you learn more about each vitamin’s benefit, why it is needed, its sources, how it helps us and many more. Nutritional magazines, cook books, healthy brochures and other reading materials are available everywhere especially in clinics providing us recipes and information about all the healthy products and menus there is that we can study and learn in preparing our food for the family.
If you think you are having vitamin deficiency, it is wise that you consult a dietitian, nutritionist, or even your family doctor in order to have the right prescription.
Inside the net there are a lot more informational sites regarding vitamin uses and recommended multivitamin supplements. Some sites offer a toll free charges where you can communicate to a dietitian for advises and many more.
For more knowledge, try finding posts about seminars and lectures about healthy diets. This way you can make sure that you serve the healthiest food not only for yourself but also to the people or your family you are serving it. Through this, you not only make yourself happy, other people too. Health is a treasure everyone should always be aware of. When one is healthy, it is never hard feeling great everyday.
By: Ben Adams
The Health Benefits Of Vitamin B6
October 28th, 2009The B6 vitamin, also known as pyridoxine, is one of the most versatile of the B vitamins and yet the body only requires a relatively small amount. The B6 vitamin works closely with all the other B vitamins, especially niacin, folic acid, and Cobalamin and contributes to numerous functions in the body.
Amino acids are converted by the B6 vitamin into proteins and it is also required for transforming stored sugar within the body into essential energy. Basically, the B6 vitamin is essential for converting the proteins that are consumed into proteins that the body needs and also for converting the carbohydrates from the form that they are stored in the body to a form that can be used for extra energy.
The body requires a number of different proteins and it is the B6 vitamin that ensures that the correct forms are available. For example, the B6 vitamin will create haemoglobin for carrying oxygen in the blood cells, hormones for regulating blood pressure, neurotransmitters and various enzymes.
The recommended daily allowance for the B6 vitamin is only around 2.0mg but this seemingly insignificant amount is used extremely efficiently within the body to produce over sixty different enzymes.
The best sources of the B6 vitamin are high-protein foods such as eggs, fish, poultry, and meat and it is also added to breakfast cereals and bread to ensure that everyone is able to consume their recommended daily allowance, even if they do not eat meat products.
An additional amount of the b6 vitamin may be beneficial for the heart and immune system. B6 vitamin supplements are sometimes required by asthmatics and diabetics. However, it is important to be aware that large doses of the B6 vitamin can be toxic.
As the B6 vitamin is found in many common foods the majority of people receive sufficient amounts of the vitamin from their normal diet. There are some groups that may need to take a B6 vitamin supplement to ensure that they obtain the recommended daily allowance.
For example, pregnant or breastfeeding women will need a slightly higher amount of the B6 vitamin to allow for the amount of the vitamin that is being absorbed by the baby although it is possible to obtain the extra B6 vitamin from an increased consumption of high-protein foods.
Strict vegetarians or vegans, however, and children who do not eat animal products may need a B6 vitamin supplement as vegetables and fruits are poor sources of the B6 vitamin.
By: Paul Hata
