Vitamin B6

Make sure you’re getting enough of Vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is part of the vitamin B complex group.

Vitamin B6 is widely distributed in foods in both its free and bound forms.

Good sources include meats, whole grain products, vegetables, and nuts.

Cooking, storage and processing losses of vitamin B6 vary and in some foods may be more than 50%, depending on the form of vitamin present in the food.

Plant foods lose the least during processing as they contain mostly pyridoxine which is far more stable than the pyridoxal or pyridoxamine found in animal foods.

For example, milk can lose 30-70% of its vitamin B6 content when dried.

Vitamin B6 is found in the germ and aleurone layer of grains and milling results to the reduction of this vitamin in white flour. Freezing and canning are other food processing methods that results in the loss of vitamin B6 in foods.

At least one preliminary study has found that this vitamin may increase dream vividness or the ability to recall dreams.

The intake of vitamin B, from either diet or supplements, could cut the risk of Parkinson’s disease by half according to a prospective study from the Netherlands. “Stratified analyses showed that this association was restricted to smokers,” wrote the authors.

Benefits and Effects

Some studies suggest that the B6-magnesium combination can also help attention deficit disorder, citing improvements in hyperactivity, hyperemotivity/aggressiveness and improved school attention.

A lack of the vitamin may play a role in sensitivity to monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer. This sensitivity can cause headaches, pain and tingling of the upper extremities, nausea, and vomiting.

If people are marginally deficient in vitamin B6, they may be more susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by pain and tingling in the wrists after performing repetitive movements or otherwise straining the wrist on a regular basis.

Vitamin B6 has long been publicized as a cure for premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Study results conflict as to which symptoms are eased, but most of the studies confirm that women who take B6 supplements have reductions in bloating, breast pain, and premenstrual acne flare, a condition in which pimples break out about a week before a woman’s period begins.

Mental depression is another condition which may result from low vitamin B6 intake. Because of pyridoxine’s role in serotonin and other neurotransmitter production, supplementation often helps depressed people feel better, and their mood improves significantly. It may also help improve memory in older adults.

It is also suggested that ingestion of vitamin B6 can alleviate some of the many symptoms of an alcoholic hangover and morning sickness from pregnancy.