Vitamin B6, a water-soluble vitamin, performs many important bodily functions such as protein metabolism and white blood cell formation. Consuming a diet rich in foods containing vitamin B6 can help prevent a lack of this vital nutrient. Insufficient amounts of vitamin B6 in the body can cause an itchy skin disorder called seborrheic dermatitis, or eczema. As when beginning any new supplement, consult your doctor before taking vitamin B6.
Functions
Vitamin B6 provides essential functions your body needs to stay healthy. For instance, it helps produce the oxygen-carrying substance in your red blood cells called hemoglobin. This important vitamin also assists your lymphoid organs -- the thymus, spleen and lymph nodes --- which make the white blood cells essential for optimal immune system performance and subsequent disease protection. When blood glucose, or sugar, levels drop during periods of low-caloric intake, B6 helps regulate blood sugar by converting stored carbohydrates or other nutrients into sugar. In addition, vitamin B6 promotes effective nervous system functioning and converts the amino acid tryptophan into another B vitamin called niacin.
Sources
Though optimally obtained through food sources, people with nutrient-deficient diets may need to take supplements of vitamin B6 to maintain their health. Foods rich in vitamin B6 include fortified cereals, baked potatoes and canned garbanzo beans. Chicken breast, instant oatmeal, roast beef, trout, salmon and tuna are also good sources of B6. The Office of Dietary Supplements recommends that men and women of ages 19 to 50 take 1.3 mg daily of vitamin B6. Men aged 51 or over need 1.7 mg and women, in the same age range, need 1.5 mg daily. In addition, the daily intake of vitamin B6 should not exceed 100 mg -- taking over 100 mg may result in nerve damage and other side effects.
Deficiency
Vitamin B6 deficiency rarely occurs in the United States, with the exception of some older people. Insufficient levels of vitamin B6 can cause depression, confusion, a sore tongue, convulsions as well as skin inflammation and itching. People with depleted levels of vitamin B6 may also exhibit a type of anemia comparable to the anemia associated with an iron deficiency. Due to the key role B6 plays in cell production, symptoms of a deficiency often initially appear on the skin in the form of dermatitis, according to naturopathic doctor Joseph E. Pizzorno's team of health-care professionals.
Dermatitis
Dermatitis, also known as eczema, produces inflammation in the upper skin layers. This skin condition can cause redness, itching, blisters, swelling, scabbing and scaling. However, it is mostly associated with a red, itchy rash. Some types of dermatitis affect only certain body parts, whereas, other types can occur anywhere on the body. Depleted levels of vitamin B6 may contribute to a type of dermatitis called seborrheic dermatitis. This chronic-inflammatory skin condition produces yellow, oily scales that can occur on the face and scalp or -- in severe cases -- produce pimples behind the ears and in the ear canal, on the bridge of the nose and around the nose as well as on the chest and back.
