Vitamins
Vitamin B6
Last Updated on Sunday, 28 February 2010 21:09
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that performs a wide variety of functions in the body and is essential for good health. For example, vitamin B6 is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. It is also essential for red blood cell metabolism. The nervous and immune systems need vitamin B6 to function efficiently, and B6 is needed for the conversion of tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin).
Hemoglobin within red blood cells carries oxygen to tissues. The body needs vitamin B6 to make hemoglobin. Vitamin B6 also helps increase the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. A vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia that is similar to iron deficiency anemia.
Vitamin B6, through its involvement in protein metabolism and cellular growth, is important to the immune system and helps maintain the health of lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes) that make white blood cells. Vitamin B6 also helps maintain blood glucose (sugar) within a normal range.
Recommended Intake
The Food & Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies established nutrient requirements for vitamin B6 for nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group in healthy people. They are listed below in milligrams (mg) per day.
| Life-Stage | Men | Women | Pregnancy | Lactation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 19-50 | 1.3 mg | 1.3 mg | ||
| Ages 51+ | 1.7 mg | 1.5 mg | ||
| All Ages | 1.9 mg | 2.0 mg |
Sources of Vitamin B6
| Food | Milligrams (mg) per serving | Percent Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-eat cereal, 100% fortified, ¾ c | 2.00 | 100 |
| Potato, Baked, flesh and skin, 1 medium | 0.70 | 35 |
| Banana, raw, 1 medium | 0.68 | 34 |
| Garbanzo beans, canned, ½ c | 0.57 | 30 |
| Chicken breast, meat only, cooked, ½ breast | 0.52 | 25 |
| Ready-to-eat cereal, 25% fortified, ¾ c | 0.50 | 25 |
| Oatmeal, instant, fortified, 1 packet | 0.42 | 20 |
| Pork loin, lean only, cooked, 3 oz | 0.42 | 20 |
| Roast beef, eye of round, lean only, cooked, 3 oz | 0.32 | 15 |
| Trout, rainbow, cooked, 3 oz | 0.29 | 15 |
| Sunflower seeds, kernels, dry roasted, 1 oz | 0.23 | 10 |
| Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ c | 0.14 | 8 |
| Tomato juice, canned, 6 oz | 0.20 | 10 |
| Avocado, raw, sliced, ½ cup | 0.20 | 10 |
| Salmon, Sockeye, cooked, 3 oz | 0.19 | 10 |
| Tuna, canned in water, drained solids, 3 oz | 0.18 | 10 |
| Wheat bran, crude or unprocessed, ¼ c | 0.18 | 10 |
| Peanut butter, smooth, 2 Tbs. | 0.15 | 8 |
| Walnuts, English/Persian, 1 oz | 0.15 | 8 |
| Soybeans, green, boiled, drained, ½ c | 0.05 | 2 |
| Lima beans, frozen, cooked, drained, ½ c | 0.10 | 6 |
*Daily Values were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help consumers compare the nutrient contents among products within the context of a total daily diet. The Daily Value for vitamin B6 is 2 milligrams. Foods providing 20 percent of more of the Daily Value are considered to be high sources of a nutrient, but foods providing lower percentages of the Daily Value also contribute to a healthful diet.
