Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

RDA is 2 mg.

Vitamin B6 is lost during processing and cooking, and is destroyed by sunlight. Store foods containing it in the dark.

We cannot store it in the body, and it passes quickly through the body and out in the urine so levels must be kept up through the diet or with supplements.

Where do you get it?

Sources of vitamin B6 include beef, chicken, eggs, fish, bananas, potatoes and sunflower seeds. Intestinal bacteria can make some vitamin B6.

Actions:

Vitamin B6 is important as it is involved in many processes in your body. It works to make the chemicals that transmit nerve impulses, and in making red blood cells. It has a role in keeping your immune system in good order, it plays a part in keeping female hormones in balance and it keeps the skin healthy.

Too much:

Side effects are unlikely at doses below 500 mg a day, but governments are wary of doses much above 50 mg a day. There is little evidence that low doses have harmful effects.

Taking vitamin B6 late in the evening might give you vivid dreams.

Too little:

The wide availability of vitamin B6 means that major deficiency is rare. However, minor deficiency can give a range of symptoms such as headache, mild depression, anxiety and irritability.

Supplement:

A general B vitamin complex will usually give all the vitamin B6 you need.

Supplements are currently limited to 10 to 20 mg per tablet, and are usually recommended for women suffering from pre-menstrual syndrome. But, they can also be useful if you are on a calorie restricted diet or if you consume too much alcohol.

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