What are benefits for vitamin B6?
Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is one of eight B vitamins that your body needs to stay healthy. This nutrient is an essential part of nearly 200 chemical reactions in your body, and it’s necessary for processes like brain development and transporting oxygen through your bloodstream. Vitamin B6 also helps you maintain a healthy nervous and immune system.
Health Benefits of Vitamin B6
Because vitamin B6 affects so many systems in your body, it has many benefits to your health, including:
• Better circulation. Homocysteine is one of 21 amino acids in your body. High levels of homocysteine in your bloodstream can lead to heart problems. Vitamin B6 helps maintain a normal amount of this amino acid in your blood.
• A stronger immune system. Vitamin B6 helps chemical reactions in the immune system, helping it work better. Eating foods rich in vitamin B6 will help your body guard against infection. Studies conducted with older adults have linked low levels of vitamin B6 with poor immune response.
• Less morning sickness. Studies have found that taking vitamin B6 may help ease nausea during pregnancy, though it doesn’t help with vomiting.
• Better mood. Your body needs vitamin B6 to make serotonin, a hormone that elevates your mood. Some studies have shown that not having enough vitamin B6 in your diet can contribute to depression
• Help with PMS. There is evidence to suggest taking vitamin B6 supplements can ease some of the effects of premenstrual syndrome, including:
- Breast tenderness
- Depression
- Anxiety
• Lower cancer risk. Maintaining healthy levels of vitamin B6 in your blood might also help reduce your chances of cancer. If you already have cancer, Studies have shown that vitamin B6 may slow tumor growth.
• Better brain function. High levels of homocysteine have been associated with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive decline. Vitamin B6 helps the body regulate levels of homocysteine in the blood.
Vitamin B6 is one of eight B vitamins and is essential for your metabolism, cardiovascular health, and much more. But because vitamin B6 is water-soluble, and not fat-soluble, it’s regularly flushed out of the body, and therefore needs to be consumed daily. Some of its benefits include:
• Vitamin B6 helps turn food into energy. Along with other B vitamins, B6 assists the body in converting food into energy. It helps metabolize carbohydrates and works with enzymes to break down proteins into amino acids — compounds that help our body grow and function properly.
• Vitamin B6 supports heart health. Vitamin B6 works with two other B vitamins — B12 and folic acid — to reduce levels of homocysteine. Hyperhomocysteinemia occurs when there are high levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. High amounts of homocysteine can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, strokes, and atherosclerosis, a disease that causes plaque to build up in the arteries. According to a 2015 report published in the Nutrition Journal, hyperhomocysteinemia can occur when someone is deficient in vitamin B6. But, with the right levels of B6 in combination with B12 and folic acid (B9), homocysteine levels can lower by up to a third. It’s important to note that despite lowered homocysteine levels, patients do not see an effect on vascular outcomes. Therefore, B vitamins may play a more preventative role in heart health.
• Vitamin B6 promotes healthy brain function. An increase in homocysteine levels can also speed up cognitive decline. This uptick can lead to an increased risk of neurological conditions such as dementia.
In addition to regulating homocysteine levels, B6 plays a role in the synthesis of important neurotransmitters — chemical messengers used by the brain and nervous system. Some of the neurotransmitters B6 helps synthesize include:
- Dopamine: responsible for reward-seeking, motivation, and movement
- Serotonin: stabilizes mood, causes feelings of well-being and happiness.
- Melatonin: plays a role in regulating our circadian rhythm and ability to fall asleep
- Noradrenaline: produces the ‘fight or flight’ response in our body when we perceive danger