Lack of Vitamin B6

The human body needs a continual supply of vitamin B-6 in order to function efficiently. Since many common foods including animal proteins, some vegetables and whole grains contain generous amounts of this vitamin, deficiency isn't common. If you need more vitamin B-6 than you get from your diet, work with your health care provider on including B-6-rich foods and perhaps supplements into your diet.

About Vitamin B-6

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that must be obtained from the diet because humans are not able to synthesize it, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. The body cannot store vitamin B-6 and expels excess amounts in the urine, so a continual supply is needed, states the National Library of Medicine. Vitamin B-6 helps the immune system produce antibodies that protect the body against disease, helps maintain normal nerve function, and helps produce red blood cells. It also helps the body break down proteins, so people who eat a lot of proteins need more vitamin B-6 than do others.

Vitamin B6 Deficiency

Vitamin B-6 deficiency may cause mouth and tongue sores, irritability, confusion and depression, according to the National Library of Medicine. A Tufts University study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2008 suggests that a substantial proportion of the U.S. population does not get enough vitamin B-6. Vitamin B-6 deficiency is especially prevalent among smokers, the elderly, non-Hispanic blacks, and current and former oral contraceptive users.

Vitamin B-6 Sources

Chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, shrimp, beef liver, milk, cheese, beans and lentils, spinach, carrots, brown rice, sunflower seeds, bran, wheat germ and whole grain flour all contain substantial amounts of vitamin B-6, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Vitamin B-6 is also available in tablet, softgel and lozenge form, and is often an ingredient in multivitamins.

Recommended B-6 Doses

The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements suggests that adults age 18 to 50 take 1.3 mg of vitamin B-6 daily. That amount increases to 1.5 mg for women and 1.7 mg for men age 51 or older. Women who are pregnant should get 1.9 mg and those who are breastfeeding 2.0 mg.