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- Vitamin B6 is a key nutrient that supports the health of your immune system, brain, and heart.
- It is also essential for your body’s metabolism, helping to convert food into energy.
- Experts recommend that adults consume around 1.3 mg of vitamin B6 per day from sources like oats and spinach.
- Visit Insider’s Health Reference Library for more tips.
Vitamin B6 is one of the eight B vitamins and is essential for your metabolism, cardiovascular health, and more. But since vitamin B6 is water soluble and not fat soluble, it is regularly eliminated from the body and therefore must be consumed daily.
Here are eight health benefits of vitamin B6 and how to get enough of it in your diet.
1. Vitamin B6 helps turn food into energy
Along with other B vitamins, B6 helps the body convert food into energy. It helps metabolize carbohydrates and works with enzymes to break down protein into amino acids – compounds that help our bodies grow and function properly.
2. Vitamin B6 supports heart health
“Vitamin B6 works with two other B vitamins – B12 and folic acid – to reduce homocysteine levels,” says Megan Wong, dietitian at AlgaeCal, a calcium supplements company.
Hyperhomocysteinemia occurs when there are high levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. High amounts of homocysteine can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis, a disease that causes plaque to build up in the arteries.
According to a 2015 report published in the Nutrition Journal, hyperhomocysteinemia can occur when a person is deficient in vitamin B6. But, with the right levels of B6 in combination with B12 and folic acid (B9), homocysteine levels can drop by up to a third. It is important to note that despite a drop in homocysteine levels, patients see no effect on vascular outcomes. Therefore, B vitamins can play a more preventative role in heart health.
3. Vitamin B6 promotes healthy brain function
An increase in homocysteine levels can also accelerate cognitive decline, Wong says. This rise can lead to an increased risk of neurological diseases such as dementia.
In addition to regulating homocysteine levels, B6 plays a role in the synthesis of important neurotransmitters – chemical messengers used by the brain and nervous system. Some of the neurotransmitters that B6 helps synthesize include:
- Dopamine: responsible for finding rewards, motivation and movement
- Serotonin: stabilizes mood, induces feelings of well-being and happiness.
- Melatonin: plays a role in regulating our circadian rhythm and our ability to fall asleep
- Noradrenaline: produces the “ fight or flight ” response in our body when we perceive danger
4. Vitamin B6 can relieve morning sickness
During pregnancy, anyone with morning sickness is often prescribed a combined tablet of doxylamine – an antihistamine – and vitamin B6.
Vitamin B6 has been shown to help relieve nausea while doxylamine can reduce vomiting. A typical dose of the combined tablet is 10 mg to 25 mg, three times a day.
5. Vitamin B6 can treat seizures in newborns
Children diagnosed with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE) need 15 to 500 mg of vitamin B6 per day for life. PDE is a rare genetic disorder that occurs a few days after birth and is characterized by seizures that are difficult to control. But vitamin B6 can help control the disease.
Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy is rare with only 200 reported cases and occurs a few days after birth. It is caused by a mutation in the ALDH7A1 gene.
When treated intravenously with 50-100 mg of vitamin B6 – also known as pyridoxine – seizures go away within minutes. Children diagnosed with PDE receive 15 to 30 mg of vitamin B6 per day for life, but may sometimes require up to 500 mg.
A person with these seizures is dependent on vitamin B6, which requires the nutrient in order to keep the condition at bay because traditional anticonvulsants don’t work.
6. Vitamin B6 supports a healthy immune system
The body needs vitamin B6 to maintain a healthy immune system.
“B6 improves communication from ‘messenger’ cells called chemokines, which direct white blood cells to areas of infection or damage,” says Wong. “Not having enough vitamin B6 can reduce the growth and production of key immune players: lymphocytes and antibodies.”
There are two forms of lymphocytes, both altered by B6 deficiency:
- T cells that fight foreign invaders in the body
- B cells that create antibodies that then attach to and destroy foreign invaders, such as bacteria or viruses
A 2006 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that vitamin B6 improved the immune response in critically ill patients. The study divided 51 participants into three groups: one received an injection of 50 mg of B6 per day, another 100 mg and a control group. After 14 days of supplementation, those who received 50-100 mg of B6 saw improvement in important markers of the immune response such as total T cell count.
7. Vitamin B6 helps prevent anemia
“Vitamin B6 is involved in the production of hemoglobin – a protein that supplies cells with oxygen,” explains Lina Velikova, MD, PhD, clinical immunologist and medical advisor at Supplements101.
Lower-than-normal hemoglobin levels are one cause of anemia, a condition characterized by low levels of red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, so without adequate red blood cells one can feel weak and tired.
Maintaining an adequate intake of vitamin B6 can help prevent anemia.
How Much Vitamin B6 Do I Need?
The amount of B6 you should consume daily depends on your age and gender. For each demographic group, the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6 is:
Shayanne Gal / Insider
Where can I get vitamin B6?
Vitamin B6 is readily available in foods and supplements. “The best way to make sure we get enough of this vitamin is to eat a diet rich in vitamin B6,” says Velikova.
Foods high in B6 include:
Yuqing Liu / insider
If a person is unable to get enough vitamin B6 from their diet, they may consider taking B6 supplements. Velikova says the dosage should not exceed 1.4 mg per day for women over 18 and 1.7 mg per day for men over 18.
Wong recommends supplements for the elderly, especially if they have a reduced appetite which may mean they are not eating enough B6-rich foods.
Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, as they can help you determine the right dosage.
Takeaway from the insider
Vitamin B6 is essential for maintaining proper bodily functions. Its benefits include improving heart health and promoting a healthy immune system. To make sure you’re sticking to your daily B6 recommendation, try incorporating chicken, soy, and potatoes into your diet.
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