Vitamin B 6 By Jae Yoon Chung What

Vitamin B 6 By: Jae Yoon Chung

What is Vitamin B 6? l l Vitamin is a water-soluble vitamin and is part of the vitamin B complex group. There are several names for the vitamin such as pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine and pyridoxine hydrochloride.

Functions In The Body l Vitamin B 6 has several functions once it enters the body. Most of these functions are metabolic: -Amino acid metabolism (synthesis and breakdown of amino acids) -Gluconeogenesis -Neurotransmitter synthesis

Functions In The Body cont. -Histamine synthesis (creation of histamine in the body) -Hemoglobin synthesis (enhances the oxygen binding of hemoglobin) -Gene Expression

Symptoms & Diseases l Deficiencies of vitamin B 6 can lead to: -Anemia (lack of hemoglobin in blood) -Depression -Dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) -Hypertension (high blood pressure) -Water retention (excess amount of fluids in the circulatory system or tissues of the body) -Elevated levels of homocysteine

Toxicity Symptoms l l An average person should not take more than 100 mg of vitamin B 6 a day from supplements, drugs or fortified foods. An overdose of vitamin B 6 can cause: -Sensory neuropathy (damage to the peripheral nerves which can cause blindness) -Dermatological lesions

Food Sources l l l Vitamin B 6 is widely distributed in its free and bound forms in foods. Foods that have a lot of B 6 are meats, whole grain products, vegetables and nuts Raw vegetables and nuts should be eaten because cooking them causes more than 50% of vitamin B 6 to be lost.

Bibliography l l l l Ebben, M. , Lequerica, A. , & Spielman A. (2002). Effects of pyridoxine on dreaming: a preliminary study. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 94(1), 135– 140. Kasdan ML, Janes C. : Carpal tunnel syndrome and vitamin B 6. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1987 Mar; 79(3): 456 -62. Lui A. , Lumeng L. Aronoff G. , Li T-K. Relationship between body store of vitamin B 6 and plasma pyridoxal-P clearance; metabolic balance studies in humans. J Lab Clin Med 1985; 106: 491 -97 Leklem J. Vitamin B 6: a status report. J. Nutr 1990; 120: 1503 -7 Mc. Cormick, D. B. Vitamin B 6 In: Present Knowledge in Nutrition (Bowman, B. A. and Russell, R. M. , eds), 9 th edition, vol. 2, p. 270. Washington, D. C. : International Life Sciences Institute, 2006. Sauberlich H. Vitamins -how much is for keeps? Nutr Today 1987; 22: 20 -28 Sergi V. C. , Wenhui Zhang, Billy G. H. , Anthony S. S. , Paul A. V. Pyridoxamine protects proteins from functional damage by 3 -Deoxyglucosone; mechanism of action of pyridoxamine. Biochemistry 2008, 47, 997 -1006.