Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12--also called cobalamin--belong to the B-complex group of vitamins that primarily help your body to process foods into energy. You need vitamins B6 and B12 to support many different essential bodily functions. You can get your daily requirement of these B vitamins from the foods in your diet, but people with certain health conditions, who are taking certain medications or who have restrictive diets may need to take supplements. If you're concerned about meeting your daily requirement of vitamins B6 and B12, talk with your doctor before taking a supplement.
Function
Both vitamin B6 and B12 play an important role in red blood cell production and function, as well as protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism in your body, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Both vitamins also support the proper functioning of your nervous system and regulate your blood levels of homocysteine, which is linked to heart disease risks. Additionally, vitamin B12 works to help produce cell DNA and RNA, as well as to help support your immune system function and regulate your mood, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. On the other hand, vitamin B6 helps your body to process, create and breakdown amino acids, which influence the proteins in your body and your levels of certain hormones like dopamine, melatonin and serotonin, explains the University of Michigan Health System.
Foods
Vitamin B6 is primarily found in potatoes, turkey, liver, tuna, bananas and lentils, says the University of Michigan Health System. Vitamin B12 is found just in animal-derived foods like fish, meats, eggs, poultry and dairy products like yogurt, milk, American cheese and brie cheese. Specifically, you can get vitamin B12 from eating organ meats, pork, beef and shellfish, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. You can also find these B-vitamins in fortified breakfast cereals and oatmeal, chicken breast and rainbow trout, adds the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Other sources of vitamin B12 include mussels, clams and salmon, while other sources of vitamin B6 include tomato juice, pork loin, avocados, sunflower seeds and peanut butter, as well as soy, lima and garbanzo beans.
Amounts
Fortified breakfast cereals can provide up to 2 mg of vitamin B6 and 6 mcg of vitamin B12 in a ¾-cup serving, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The richest food source of vitamin B12 is steamed clams, which provides about 84 mcg in just 3 oz., followed by beef liver at 60 mcg and steamed mussels at 20.4 mcg in the same serving size. In a 3-oz. serving size, you can get 5.3 mcg of vitamin B12 from rainbow trout, 4.9 mcg from salmon and 2.1 mcg from beef. Second only to fortified cereal, one medium baked potato provides 0.7 mg of vitamin B6, followed by one medium banana that provides 0.68 mg and ½ cup of canned garbanzo beans that provide 0.57 mg. One packet of instant oatmeal or 3 oz. of pork loin offer 0.42 mg of vitamin B6, while 3 ½ oz. of skinless chicken breast offers 0.52 mg of vitamin B6 and 0.35 mcg of vitamin B12. In 1 cup of milk or yogurt you can get 0.9 mcg of vitamin B12, while one large egg or 1 oz. of brie cheese provides 0.5 mcg.
Requirements
The recommended daily allowance of vitamin B12 is 2.4 mcg for adults aged 19 years and older, 2.6 mcg for pregnant women and 2.8 mcg for lactating women, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Children 1 to 13 years of age should get 0.9 to 1.8 mcg of vitamin B12 daily, while infants should get 0.4 to 0.5 mcg and teenagers 14 to 18 years old should get 2.4 mcg. If you're 19 to 50 years old, you should get 1.3 mg of vitamin B6 each day or 1.9 to 2.0 mg if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Men aged 51 years or older should get 1.7 mg of vitamin B6 daily, while women of the same age group need 1.5 mg per day. Children aged 1 to 13 years old require 0.5 to 1.0 mg of vitamin B6 daily, while teenaged girls need 1.3 mg and boys need 1.3 mg.
Considerations
Depending on your diet and any health problems, you could require a supplement to meet the daily requirements of vitamins B6 and B12. Although you can get vitamin B6 from a wide range of foods, strict vegetarians and vegans who don't eat meat, fish and dairy products are often deficient in vitamin B12, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You're also at a much higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency if you have pernicious anemia, malabsorption or gastrointestinal issues like celiac disease, if you're elderly, if you take stomach acid-suppressing drugs like Prilosec or if you drink excessive quantities of alcohol. Alcoholics and people with malabsorption diseases can also be deficient in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 deficiencies are also common among smokers, people who have kidney failure or chronic fatigue syndrome and women who take birth control pills, although the deficiency is usually not severe, notes the University of Michigan Health System.
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