Vitamin B-6, or pyridoxine, is one of eight B vitamins that assist in converting carbohydrates into fuel your body can use. Vitamin B is found in both plant and animal foods, as well as those that are fortified with this nutrient. The Linus Pauling Institute states that depending on the strictness of your vegetarian diet, you may need to make sure that you eat enough foods with vitamin B-6 or take dietary supplements. Talk to your doctor before taking dietary supplements to address your nutrition and health concerns.
Vegetarians and Food
MayoClinic.com lays out various types of vegetarian diets, all of which include or exclude certain types of foods. Strict vegan diets exclude any foods that come from animals --- not only meat, fish and poultry but eggs and dairy foods. A lacto-vegetarian diet permits dairy foods such as milk and cheese but excludes meat, fish, poultry and eggs. Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat a similar diet to lacto-vegetarians but they don't exclude eggs from their meals. Fortunately for vegetarians, vitamin B-6 is found in many different food groups, both animal- and plant-based. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that chicken, tuna, beef liver, milk, cheese, beans, lentils, spinach, carrots, sunflower seeds and whole grain foods such as brown rice and wheat germ are some of the foods that provide you with vitamin B-6.
Your Choices
The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin B-6, or RDA, for men and women between the ages of 19 and 50 is 1.3 mcg. Adults 51 and older and pregnant and breastfeeding women need more vitamin B-6, from 1.5 to 2.0 mcg a day. A good dietary selection for vegetarians is fortified cereal, which can have up to 2.5 mcg vitamin B-6 per cup serving. A cup of cooked spinach, a banana and a medium-sized baked potato are other sources of vitamin B-6, ranging from 0.43 to 0.70 mcg. The key to making sure you get adequate amounts of vitamin B-6 and other essential minerals, MayoClinic.com indicates, is to eat a wide variety of foods.
Vitamin Supplements
According to the UMMC, vitamin B-6 deficiency is rare, but those it tends to affect are children and older individuals. If your diet is diverse, you probably don't need dietary supplements, states MayoClinic.com. However, people on a restricted vegetarian diet who don't eat a variety of foods may benefit from dietary supplements, such as a multivitamin. Vitamin B-6 supplements can have toxic effects when taken for a long time, states the Linus Pauling Institute. One possible complication is a condition called sensory neuropathy, which is characterized by numbness and pain in the extremities, as well as problems walking. The tolerable upper intake level for vitamin B-6 is 100 mg a day.
Other Concerns
MayoClinic.com indicates that vegetarians may need to be concerned about not getting enough of other essential nutrients. These include calcium, iodine, iron, zinc, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins D and B-12. If you're on a vegetarian diet and want to make sure that the diet you eat gives you enough vitamin B-6 and other vitamins and minerals, talk to your treating physician or a registered dietitian.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine); June 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin B6; J. Higdon, Ph.D.; February 2002
- MayoClinic.com: Vegetarian Diet: How to Get the Best Nutrition; June 2010
- MedlinePlus Supplements: Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6); December 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Supplements: Nutrition in a Pill?; June 2010
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