Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that is needed by your body for many functions. Your body doesn't typically produce vitamin B6 and so you need to gather it through various natural foods or supplements. There are many people who make sure to get enough amount of this vitamin through their daily diet, but some fall at the risk of its deficiency. To understand all of that and more, we're going to break it all down for you.
Benefits of Vitamin B6:
There are many health benefits of vitamin B6 that you might not know of. Some of these are mentioned below.
1. Helps Improve Mood and Reduce Depression Symptoms:
One of the vitamin B6 benefits is that it can effectively regulate your emotions that include dopamine and serotonin (1). Vitamin B6 can also aid in decreasing high blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine which is linked to depression and other psychiatric issues. You might know that depressive symptoms are associated with low blood levels and hence, consumption of vitamin B6 through foods or supplements can help.
2. May Help Treat Symptoms of PMS:
Another one of the benefits of vitamin B6 is that it can treat symptoms of premenstrual syndrome that include irritability, depression and anxiety (2). Vitamin B6 has the ability to create neurotransmitters that can regulate your mood. So if you are someone who experiences severe PMS symptoms, you must try vitamin B6-rich foods in order to keep yourself away from those mood swings. Speaking of PMS, you can try the Saffola Fittify The Perfekt PMS Relief Gummies. These gummies are loaded with nutrients like vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 - all of which are equivalent to one avocado, one bowl of beetroot and three glasses of milk. All of these nutrients can help in reducing fatigue, and tiredness and improve blood health.
3. May Treat Nausea During Pregnancy:
Almost all women experience nausea during the pregnancy period. Vitamin B6 can successfully treat the feeling of nausea and vomiting during this period (3). In fact, vitamin B6 is said to play an important role in ensuring a healthy pregnancy. So women who experience this feeling throughout pregnancy can consult a doctor and take a daily supplement of 30 mg of vitamin B6 to help keep the nauseous feeling at bay. If you don't want to rely on supplements, there are other sources of vitamin B6 that you can trust which are natural foods.
4. Helps Promote Eye Health:
One of vitamin B6 benefits is that it can prevent eye disease. Vitamin B6 can effectively reduce raised blood levels of homocysteine. So maintaining enough amounts of vitamin B6 in your system can lower your risk of eye disease.
5. May Prevent and Treat Anemia:
Vitamin B6 can help in preventing and treating anaemia that is caused by deficiency due to its importance in haemoglobin production. Haemoglobin is a protein that has the ability to deliver oxygen to your cells (4). When your haemoglobin levels go down, your cells don't get enough oxygen due to which you may develop anaemia or feel tired and weak.
Vitamin B6-Rich Foods:
Now that you know of some benefits, here are some food sources of vitamin B6 that you should know of.
1. MIlk:
One of the greatest vitamin B6 sources is milk. Just one cup of cow or goat's milk can provide you with 5% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6. When you have a vitamin B6 deficiency, it can negatively affect your central nervous system. Hence, children as well as adults, both are required to drink milk every single day to keep their vitamin B6 levels high.
2. Eggs:
If you're a fan of eggs, let us tell you that it is one of the best sources of vitamin B6. If you wish to get 10% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6, just have two eggs every single day and you're good to go. Eggs are also loaded with protein and other important nutrients that help your overall health (6). They're quite versatile, so can be cooked for breakfast, a whole meal or even light snacks.
3. Carrots:
One of the food sources of vitamin B6 is a vegetable - carrots. They're packed with high amounts of vitamin A as well as B6 (7). You can consume one medium carrot stick to get 5% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6. You can eat carrots raw, cooked or in the form of soups and juices - however you like it.
4. Spinach:
Vitamin B6 has the ability to help make antibodies that help you stay away from infections and diseases (8). Spinach is one of the vitamin B6-rich foods that are also packed with vitamins A and C along with iron (9). All of which can serve fabulously for your overall health. You can either chop it down to toss it into a salad or blend it into a rich and creamy soup.
5. Sweet Potato:
Vitamin B6 can help in regulating glycogen which is the stored energy in your muscles and livers. One medium-sized sweet potato can provide you with 15% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6. It's also loaded with vitamin A, magnesium and fiber (10). You can bake some sweet potato with a pinch of salt and pepper or turn it into a shepherd's pie, according to your liking.
Side Effects of Consuming Too Much Vitamin B6:
Everything under moderation works well for your body. But if you end up consuming too much vitamin B6, it could negatively affect your body. Some vitamin B6 side effects (11) are mentioned below -
- Numbness
- Reduced ability to sense pain or extreme temperatures
- Heartburn and nausea
- Painful, disfiguring skin lesions
- Sensitivity to sunlight
- Decrease in muscle control or coordination of voluntary movements
Signs of vitamin B6 Deficiency:
Just like too much vitamin B6 can affect your body negatively, the lack of it can also be dangerous. Here are some vitamin B6 deficiency signs (12).
- Skin Rashes: A deficiency of vitamin B6 can result in a red, itchy rash. This rash can appear on your face, neck, upper chest and scalp. It may appear oily or flaky & may cause white patches or swelling.
- Cracked and Sore Lips: You can experience sore, red, swollen lips with cracked mouth corners when you are deficient in vitamin B6. Cracked lip areas may cause bleeding or become infected.
- Glossy or Sore Tongue: If you're deficient in vitamin B6, it could result in swollen, smooth, sore, inflamed or reddened tongue called glossitis. This can be due to the loss of papillae which are bumps on your tongue.
- Mood Changes: A deficiency of vitamin B6 can affect your mood and make you feel anxious, irritable or depressed.
- Tiredness and Low Energy: Vitamin B6 deficiency can drop your haemoglobin levels. This can make you feel tired most of the time or you may feel low on energy throughout the day.
Conclusion:
Vitamin B6 can be obtained through make food sources or supplements, as mentioned above. It's needed for several processes of your body that includes regulating homocysteine levels and neurotransmitters. There are several health benefits of vitamin B6, some of which you already know of now. So make sure you get enough doses of vitamin B6 either by making changes in your daily diet or by adding supplements regularly to improve your healthy living.
FAQs:
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Is it safe for children to take vitamin B6 supplements?
Kids do require vitamin B6 in order to have healthy growth and development. Go for high-quality, natural supplements for children as they help boost your child's vitamin B6 intake.
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Is it advisable for pregnant women to take vitamin B6 supplements?
Yes, vitamin B6 should be added to your diet through foods or supplements during pregnancy as it can treat the feeling of nausea and vomiting.
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How to consume Vitamin B6?
You can either consume vitamin B6 through foods like tuna, salmon, chickpeas, poultry, fruits and vegetables or with the help of various supplements. One of which we've mentioned above for you.
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Are there any supplements for Vitamin B6?
There are many supplements available in the market for vitamin B6. We suggest you try the Saffola Fittify The Perfekt PMS Relief Gummies as it is packed with vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12, all of which can benefit your body in many ways.
