Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin which is one of the 8 vitamins your body needs to maintain cardiovascular health, metabolism, and more. Because of its solubility, it is regularly flushed out from your body, which is why it's crucial to replenish your vitamin B6 daily.
Depending on the age consumption of B6 varies from 0.3 mg for babies, 1.2mg for teenagers, and 1.7mg and up for senior citizens.
The 5 Benefits of Vitamin B6 to Your Body
Converts Food to Energy
Like many B vitamins, B6 helps your body convert food into energy. It metabolizes carbohydrates and enzymes to deconstruct protein into amino acids that help your body grow and function properly according to Bridgewater State University.
Essential in Maintaining Cardiovascular Health
Megan Wong, a registered dietician at AlgaeCal, explains that vitamin B6 works with other B vitamins such as B12 and folic acid to reduce homocysteine.
Hyperhomocysteinemia happens when there are high levels of the amino acid homocysteine in your blood that can lead to increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, strokes, heart attacks, and diseases that cause plaque build-up in arteries.
A 2015 report entitled, "Role of homocysteine in the development of the cardiovascular disease," published in the Nutritional Journal explains that hyperhomocysteinemia occurs when a person is deficient in vitamin B6.
On the other hand, with the right levels of vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid, homocysteine levels can be lowered by up to a third.
The Key to Healthy Brain Functions
Wong adds that high levels of homocysteine have been linked with the hastening of cognitive decline. The uptick could lead to increased risks of neurological conditions like dementia.
Vitamin B6 also plays a vital role in the synthesis of vital neurotransmitters or chemical messengers used by the brain to communicate with various systems in the body. Some neurotransmitters helped by vitamin B6 include:
- Serotonin that stabilizes mood and causes feelings of happiness and well-being;
- Dopamine responsible for motivation, movement, and reward-seeking;
- Melatonin plays a key role in regulating circadian rhythm and sleeping abilities; and
- Noradrenaline produces fight or flight responses.
Promotes a Healthy Immune System
Your body requires levels of vitamin B6 to maintain a high-functioning healthy immune system.
Wong explains that vitamin B6 improves the communication between chemokines that direct white blood cells to infected or damaged areas within the body. Vitamin B6 deficiencies can reduce the production and growth of lymphocytes and antibodies which are key players in your immune system.
A study in 2006 entitled, "Vitamin B6 Supplementation increases immune response in critically ill patients," published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that vitamin B6 improves immune responses of critically ill patients.
Anemia Prevention
Lina Velikova, MD, Ph.D., explains that vitamin B6 helps in the production of hemoglobin or proteins that supply cells with oxygen.
Low levels of hemoglobin cause anemia, a condition characterized by low levels of red blood cells. Red blood cells are tasked with carrying oxygen to different parts of the body, without the right amount of red blood cells you will feel fatigued and weak.
Maintaining the right intake of vitamin B6 helps prevent anemia.
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