Vitamin B6

What is vitamin B6?

Vitamin B6 is one of the best known B vitamins. This vitamin exists in three forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine. In the body, the active form is a derivative of pyridoxamine. It is known mainly because of its classic association with magnesium, whose action it enhances in the fight against fatigue and stress. Moreover, this water-soluble vitamin is widely used in medicine.

What is its function and what are its benefits?

Like all B vitamins, vitamin B6 plays an important role in energy production. It participates in many processes involved in the metabolism of proteins and amino acids (transamination and decarboxylation in particular), as well as in glycogenolysis, which allows the conversion of hepatic glycogen (stored in the liver) into glucose, when muscle glycogen reserves are exhausted.

Vitamin B6 is also necessary for the synthesis of vitamin B3 from tryptophan.

It also plays an important role in the production of hemoglobin, the synthesis of several neurotransmitters involved in mood (serotonin, melatonin and dopamine in particular), and contributes to the absorption of magnesium, which remains its best known action.

Where to find it?

The main sources of vitamin B6 are: meat, poultry, liver, fatty fish, yeast, bananas, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, eggplant, leeks, zucchini, legumes (lentils, etc.), wheat germ, etc.

Note that the form from animal sources is 100% assimilated, while the form from plant sources (mainly in the form of pyridoxine-5′-ß-D-glucoside), is very poorly assimilated, and could even hinder the assimilation of other forms of vitamin B6.

Deficiency and excess

Vitamin B6 excesses are rare, as this vitamin is poorly stored by the body.

Moreover, being present in a large number of foods, cases of serious deficiency are rare in Western countries. However, they are much more common among vegetarians and vegans, due to less assimilation from plant sources.

People who consume a lot of protein (e.g. power sports enthusiasts or large carnivores) may have increased needs. The same applies to athletes in general, the elderly, people under chronic stress, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who consume alcohol, vegetarians/vegans, etc.