The functions of vitamin B6 and its role in the body: where it is found, what it is for

We offer you a material that describes all the functions of vitamin B6 and its impact on human health. You will also learn which foods contain this substance, how to determine its shortage and correctly compensate for the deficiency by correcting the diet. Many scientists agree on what vitamin B6 is for – it’s vigorous activity, recovery after heavy physical and psychological stress, strengthening the immune system.

Proteins – enzymes catalyze metabolic reactions, proteins-hormones regulate the vital functions of the body. And the necessary basis for the construction of protein molecules, growth and renewal of tissues are the exchange and interconversions of amino acids. An important role in these processes belongs to enzymes, which include vitamin B6. Thus, the functions of vitamin B6 are manifested both in the formation of new cellular structures and in the transformation of protein molecules.

Where is vitamin B6 found

Vitamin B6 is found mainly in meat products, especially in the liver and kidneys, of which it is best absorbed. The daily requirement is about 2 milligrams. If you eat foods that contain vitamin B6 in sufficient quantities, then there is no deficiency of this substance, since the need for it is very small.

Like niacin, vitamin B6 is found mainly in meat products, especially in the liver and kidneys, as well as in wholemeal bread, buckwheat, barley, and millet. But from grain products, it is absorbed much worse than from animal products.

Vitamin B6, like niacin, is not represented by a single substance, but by a family that includes three related compounds: pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxal.

Lack of vitamin B6

Lack of vitamin B6 is often observed in pregnant women, especially in early toxicosis, in patients with atherosclerosis, parkinsonism, chronic liver disease, and also in the treatment of certain drugs – pyridoxine antagonists, such as anti-tuberculosis drugs.

With a lack of this vitamin in newborns and young children, inhibition processes in the central nervous system are disturbed and convulsive conditions develop that cannot be treated with conventional anticonvulsants.

In recent years, a lot of evidence has emerged that a lack of vitamin B6 can contribute to one of the most formidable diseases of the century – myocardial infarction.