Nutrition

Vitamin B6 is part of the "B complex" vitamins and is essential to the metabolism of red blood cells. It is a vitamin that is water-soluble and can be found in three major forms: Pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxine. B6 is essential to a healthy body, and is necessary in order to convert tryptophan to niacin.

What are the deficiency symptoms?

Even though B6 deficiency doesn't occur regularly, higher cases have been reported with the elderly and those who have a poor diet deficient in other vitamins for extended periods of time.

If you're not receiving the benefits of Vitamin B6, the deficiency signs are:

Sore tongue (glossitis)
Confusion
Convulsions
Skin inflammation
Depression
Anemia

What are the Best Food Sources?

The information about nutrition presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about nutrition or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

In order to receive the essential benefits we should include foods in our diet that are rich in this vitamin. Those foods include:

Beans
Legumes
Peanut butter
Avocado
Walnuts
Fish
Some fruits and vegetables
Some fortified cereals
Poultry

What are the Health Benefits?

Because it is essential for good health, the benefits of Vitamin B6 are abundant. It has been used for more than 30 years for help with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This vitamin is also essential to help with our central nervous system in helping neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.

Those who have lower levels of this vitamin have reported migraines and depression associated with the reduction of serotonin.

In recent years, B6 has also been used in helping relieve the symptoms and pains often associated with PMS (premenstrual syndrome).

Vitamin B6 is essential for blood sugar levels and keeping them within a normal range. Vitamin B6 helps our body convert nutrients such as carbohydrates which have been stored into glucose. This helps keep sugar levels in normal range.