Tagged with 'vitamin-B6'

I once wrote an entire thesis on this one topic—vitamin B₆! It was a long year and a half, ha-ha! Vitamin B₆ gets little to no attention, and is often unnoticed among all the B-complex vitamins, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t important. 

In women, vitamin B₆ needs increase after age 50 from 1.3 mg to 1.5 mg per day. For men, it’s even more; after age 50, vitamin B₆ needs increase from 1.3 mg to 1.7 mg per day, and some studies suggest older people may need more than the current recommended levels of vitamin B₆.

Vitamin B₆ is a water soluble vitamin, so the body doesn’t store it. It has many important functions throughout the body.

Function #1: It plays an important role in the nervous system and cognitive development by helping make several major neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that communicate information from one nerve cell to another throughout our brain and body.

Function #2: Vitamin B₆ is needed for normal brain development and function. It helps the body make the hormone serotonin, which influences mood. In fact, recent studies suggest vitamin B₆ might help reduce the risk of late-life depression. 

Function #3: Vitamin B₆ helps the body make melatonin, which helps regulate the body’s internal clock.

Function #4: Vitamin B₆ is very important for heart health. It works together with vitamins B₁₂ and B₉ (folic acid), to maintain normal levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid in which high levels may be associated with heart disease. People who don't get enough B₆ in their diet have a higher risk of heart disease.

Function #5: Energy production is probably the most well-known function of the B-vitamins. Vitamin B₆ is essential to over 100 enzymes, mostly all involved in metabolizing amino acids (proteins)! Vitamin B₆ is also important for metabolizing both carbohydrates and fats.

Dietary Sources

Animal foods, such as turkey, tuna, salmon, shrimp, and beef liver, are among the richest sources of vitamin B₆. Other good food sources include bananas, raisins, lentils, beans, spinach, carrots, potatoes, bran, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and many breakfast cereals also contain added vitamin B₆. If you avoid vitamin B₆-rich foods, or eat small portions of them, you may not be getting enough of this important nutrient. 

As a supplement, vitamin B₆ is sold under the names pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, pyridoxine hydrochloride, and pyridoxal-5-phosphate. Vitamin B₆’s most active or absorbable form is pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP).

Keep in mind, some is good, but more is not better. Studies have shown taking large amounts of vitamin B₆ (more than 500 mg per day) can cause nerve damage, difficulty walking, or tingling.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

University of Maryland Medical Center, Vitamin B₆ (Pyridoxine) 

National Institutes of Health; Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6 Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet.

I once wrote an entire thesis on this one topic—vitamin B₆! It was a long year and a half, ha-ha! Vitamin B₆ gets little to no attention, and is often unnoticed among all the B-complex vitamins, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t important. 

In women, vitamin B₆ needs increase after age 50 from 1.3 mg to 1.5 mg per day. For men, it’s even more; after age 50, vitamin B₆ needs increase from 1.3 mg to 1.7 mg per day, and some studies suggest older people may need more than the current recommended levels of vitamin B₆.

Vitamin B₆ is a water soluble vitamin, so the body doesn’t store it, and it has many important functions throughout the body.

Function #1: It plays an important role in the nervous system and cognitive development by helping make several major neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that communicate information from one nerve cell to another throughout our brain and body.

Function #2: Vitamin B₆ is needed for normal brain development and function. It helps the body make the hormone serotonin, which influences mood. In fact, recent studies suggest vitamin B₆ might help reduce the risk of late-life depression. 

Function #3: Vitamin B₆ helps the body make melatonin, which helps regulate the body’s internal clock.

Function #4: Vitamin B₆ is very important for heart health. It works together with vitamins B₁₂ and B₉ (folic acid), to maintain normal levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid in which high levels may be associated with heart disease. People who don't get enough B₆ in their diet have a higher risk of heart disease.

Function #5: Energy production is probably the most well-known function of the B-vitamins. Vitamin B₆ is essential to over 100 enzymes, mostly all involved in metabolizing amino acids (proteins)! Vitamin B₆ is also important for metabolizing both carbohydrates and fats.

Dietary Sources

Animal foods, such as turkey, tuna, salmon, shrimp, and beef liver, are among the richest sources of vitamin B₆. Other good food sources include bananas, raisins, lentils, beans, spinach, carrots, potatoes, bran, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and many breakfast cereals also contain added vitamin B₆. If you avoid vitamin B₆-rich foods, or eat small portions of them, you may not be getting enough of this important nutrient. 

As a supplement, vitamin B₆ is sold under the names pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, pyridoxine hydrochloride, and pyridoxal-5-phosphate. Vitamin B₆’s most active or absorbable form is pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP).

Keep in mind, some is good, but more is not better. Studies have shown taking large amounts of vitamin B₆ (more than 500 mg per day) can cause nerve damage, difficulty walking, or tingling.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

University of Maryland Medical Center, Vitamin B₆ (Pyridoxine) 

National Institutes of Health; Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6 Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet.

Nobody wants to hear their brain is rapidly shrinking! Sadly enough, this is one of the diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease. We all lose brain cells as we get older, normally about a half percent per year. If you have mild cognitive impairment that rises to 1% and when Alzheimer’s sets in, the atrophy speeds up to 2½%. 

B-vitamins and Alzheimer's Disease

The cause of Alzheimer’s still remains a mystery, but it’s becoming increasingly clear what you eat, or don’t eat, can influence your risk as well as the rate at which the disease progresses. B-vitamins, especially folic acid, vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂, are once again being talked about for their powerful role in preventing or at least slowing the development of mild memory loss and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease.

High levels of the amino acid homocysteine are linked to brain shrinkage and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. B-vitamins are known to suppress homocysteine.

In one study, blood levels of folate and vitamin B₁₂, as well as homocysteine, were analyzed in 121 normal patients and 321 patients with either mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. Results showed homocysteine levels were highest in the patients with both cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s, and homocysteine was highest and folate levels lowest in those with Alzheimer’s. In addition, performance on a series of cognitive tests worsened as levels of vitamin B₁₂ and folate decreased, while those scores were inversely associated with homocysteine levels.

Take This Type of Folic Acid

If you take a B-complex or folic acid supplement, make sure the folic acid is in its biologically active form – L-5-MTHF. This is the form that’s able to cross the blood-brain barrier to give you the brain benefits mentioned above.

Blood Pressure and Mental Decline

Maintaining a normal blood pressure is also important in preventing dementia. Research concludes elevated blood pressure harms blood vessels in the brain associated with damage to the structure of the brain’s white matter and mental decline even in people as young as 40-years-old. Visit this blog post for strategies for reducing blood pressure.

Some good news though – seniors who stay physically active show less brain tissue atrophy and white matter lesions in the brain.

Bottom Line: There is certainly a link between memory loss and a deficiency of specific B-vitamins. However, the question of “how much” folic acid, vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂ still needs to be determined.   

For more information about Alzheimer's Disease, visit the blog "Improve Your Odds Against Alzheimer's Disease."

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

Kim G, Kim H, Kim K, et al: Relationship of cognitive function with B vitamin status, homocysteine, and tissue factor pathway inhibitor in cognitively impaired elderly. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2012;October 5th.

Maillard P, Seshadri S, Beiser A, et al: Effects of systolic blood pressure on white matter integrity in young adults in the Framingham Heart Study. Lancet neurology 2012;November 1^st.

Gow A, Bastin M, Munoz Maniega S, et al: Neuro-protective lifestyles and the aging brain. Neurology 2012;79:1802-1808.

Verdelho A, Madureira S, Ferro J, et al: Physical activity prevents progression for cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. Stroke 2012;November 1^st.