Taking your vitamins is one way to stay healthy, but figuring out which vitamins to take can be confusing. B complex vitamins are important for many of your body's most basic functions, including heart and brain health. Serious vitamin B6 deficiencies are not common because it is available in so many foods. But, it is common to have a mild deficiency. Left untreated until it becomes severe can lead to symptoms such as depression, trouble concentrating, irritability, nervousness, short-term memory loss and muscle weakness.
Identification
Vitamin B6 is a water soluble vitamin that your body can't make by itself, so you must get it through foods. All of the eight B vitamins help your body process food into fuel. They aid your nervous system, metabolize protein and fats and are needed to keep your liver, nails, hair and skin healthy.
Blood Health Benefits
Vitamin B6 helps your body to make a substance called heme. Heme is a component of hemoglobin, which is found in your red blood cells. Its job is to help your blood cells carry oxygen throughout your bloodstream, which is crucial to every function of your body.
Brain Health Benefits
Vitamin B6 is needed for your body to produce serotonin, which is linked to moods. Some anti-depressants, for example, work by elevating the levels of serotonin in your brain. Vitamin B6 also functions in the production of norepinephrin and melatonin which influence mood and help regulate your internal clock, respectively. Research into whether increasing dietary B6 will also help treatment is ongoing, but no conclusions have been reached.
Dietary Sources
Vitamin B6 is found in many different foods, and is also available in supplement form. Foods high in vitamin B6 include bananas, beans, cantaloupe, fish, fortified cereals, dark leafy greens, oranges, papayas and poultry. If you decide to take a supplement, stay between 1.3 mg and 1.7 mg per day. Taking in more than 100 mg per day can lead to nerve damage, so don't overdo it.
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