Vitamin B6

Karen

What is Vitamin B6? Vitamin is a water-soluble vitamin and is

part of the vitamin B complex group. Vitamin B6 is a vitamin that is naturally

present in many foods. The body needs vitamin B6 for more than 100 enzyme reactions involved in metabolism. Vitamin B6 is also involved in brain development during pregnancy and infancy as well as immune function.

What does Vitamin B6 do for the body?

Vitamin B6, through its involvement in protein metabolism and cellular growth, is important to the immune system. It helps maintain the health of lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes) that make your white blood cells.

What does Vitamin B6 do for the body?

Vitamin B6 also helps maintain your blood glucose (sugar) within a normal range. When caloric intake is low your body needs vitamin B6 to help convert stored carbohydrate or other nutrients to glucose to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

What foods provide vitamin B6? Vitamin B6 is found naturally in many foods and

is added to other foods. You can get recommended amounts of vitamin B6 by eating a variety of foods, including the following:

Poultry, fish, and organ meats, all rich in vitamin B6.

Potatoes and other starchy vegetables, which are some of the major sources of vitamin B6 for Americans.

Fruit (other than citrus), which are also among the major sources of vitamin B6 for Americans.

Pyridoxine deficiency

DeficiencyIf you don't get enough vitamin B-6 from your diet or supplements, you most likely will develop a deficiency. Vitamin B-6 is involved in protein and red blood-cell metabolism. A lack of red blood cells can reduce oxygen levels in your body, causing you to feel fatigued. Vitamin B-6 also helps to keep the nervous system and immune system functioning properly. Without adequate vitamin B-6, the immune system can become suppressed, causing you to become ill.

Can vitamin B6 be harmful? People almost never get too much vitamin B6

from food. But taking high levels of vitamin B6 from supplements for a year or longer can cause severe nerve damage, leading people to lose control of their bodily movements. The symptoms usually stop when they stop taking the supplements. Other symptoms of too much vitamin B6 include painful, unsightly skin patches, extreme sensitivity to sunlight, nausea, and heartburn.

Food Sources Vitamin B6 is widely distributed in its

free and bound forms in foods. Foods that have a lot of B6 are meats,

whole grain products, vegetables and nuts

Raw vegetables and nuts should be eaten because cooking them causes more that 50% of vitamin B6 to be lost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/enc

y/article/002402.htm

http://voices.yahoo.com/functions-vitamin-b6-body-7674044.html

http://www.livinghealthy360.com/index.php/vitamin-b6-deficiency-causes-symptoms-and-side-effects-21817/

THANKE YOU FOR WACHING !