What Is Vitamin B6?

Vitamins and Supplements

What is Vitamin B6?

I had no idea what Vitamin B6 was or how Vitamin B6 interacted with my body until I was stricken with Sheehan’s Syndrome. The disease Sheehan’s Syndrome rendered my body unable to receive enough Vitamin B6 through different food sources.

So, why is Vitamin B6 is important to your body? 

Vitamin B6 is involved in the process of making serotonin and norepinephrine. The serotonin and norepinephrine are chemicals that transmit signals in the brain. Vitamin B6 is also involved in the formation of myelin, a protein layer that forms around nerve cells. Vitamin B6 serves as a cofactor in many enzyme reactions in amino acid, glucose, and lipid metabolism.

Vitamin B6 is part of the vitamin B complex group and its active form, Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) Vitamin B6 is referenced to a group of chemically make up of very similar compounds that can be interconverted in biological systems.

There are seven forms (vitamins) that make up Vitamin B6;

  • Pyridoxine (PN), the form most commonly given as vitamin B6 supplement
  • Pyridoxine 5′-phosphate (PNP)
  • Pyridoxal (PL)
  • Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP), the metabolically active form (sold as ‘P-5-P’ vitamin supplement)
  • Pyridoxamine (PM)
  • Pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate (PMP)
  • 4-Pyridoxic acid (PA), the catabolite which is excreted in the urine

 

Symptoms and Signs of Vitamin B6 Deficiency:

  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Seborrheic

    Dermatitis

  • Confusion
  • Cheilosis
  • Depression
  • Glossitis
  • EEG abnormalities
  • Seizures
  • Anemia

You can find Vitamin B6 in the following food sources:

  • fortified cereals
  • beans
  • poultry
  • fish
  • some vegetables (especially dark leafy greens)
  • fruits, such as; papayas, oranges, and cantaloupe.

Too much Vitamin B6 can lead to toxicity. The symptoms of toxicity may occur when a person who takes more than 100 milligrams of vitamin B-6 daily.

Symptoms of Vitamin B6 toxicity  may include:

  •  nausea
  • heartburn
  • increased sensitivity to light
  • abdominal
  • pain
  • decreased appetite
  • skin reactions like rashes or the development of lesions.

High doses of vitamin B-6 over a long period of time may also cause damage to your nerves, result in leg numbness and difficulty in gross motor movements  controls.

A simple blood test can determine if your body contains the essential VitaminB6 it needs.

My body continues not to be able to receive enough Vitamin B6 through food sources.

If you are extremely low on Vitamin B6 your doctor may decide you could benefit from Vitamin B injections. My condition with Vitamin B is chronic so I have chosen to give myself an injection of Vitamin B6 weekly.

My condition with Vitamin B is chronic so I have chosen to give myself an injection of Vitamin B6 weekly.

 

Resources:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-b6/background/hrb-20058788

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-Consumer/

http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20120619/low-vitamin-b6-linked-to-inflammation

 http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nutritional_disorders/vitamin_deficiency_dependency_and_toxicity/vitamin_b6.html#v884975

 

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