Vitamin B6 – its role and interactions with vitamin B12, B3 and other vitamins from the B group
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Posted On :
Jan-22-2011
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Article Word Count :
524
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Discovered almost a hundred years ago, vitamin B6 was first used to prevent skin diseases. It can still be found in all kinds of face creams and lotions. The fact is, however, that this vitamin has a much more important role to play in our body.
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Vitamin B6, which can be found mostly in meat and whole grain products, helps in the process of amino acids, fats and carbohydrates digestion. It is also irreplaceable when it comes to production of red blood cells. A diet rich in vitamin B6 can be very profitable for our health while the lack of it can cause many health problems. What does it mean in practice and why is it so important to remember about the whole B vitamin group?
Discovered almost a hundred years ago, vitamin B6 was first used to prevent skin diseases. It can still be found in all kinds of face creams and lotions. The fact is, however, that this vitamin has a much more important role to play in our body. It takes part in amino acid metabolism as well as in the synthesis of nucleic acids and in heme synthesis. It is also participating in oxygen and hemoglobin combination, allowing the oxygen reach all the tissues and cells.
If we want to increase the consumption of vitamin B6 we have to make some small changes in our menu by choosing more products that contain it. Bananas for example are a great source of vitamin B6, as well as avocado, red pepper and carrot. We can find it in chicken, tuna and spinach as well. We should also try to eat more ready products that are enriched with B6 like whole grain bread. It is important to remember that there are some factors that can lower the amount of vitamin B6 in products. When we are freezing vegetables for example, we can lose around 15% of the B6 amount. Processing the grains is even more invasive – it can lower the amount down to even 50%. Vitamin B6 is also available in pure form, can be taken as pills just like melatonin, niacin and other supplements so in case of serious deficiency it is good to take it in this form.
Vitamin B6 interacts with other vitamins from the ‘B’ group and it is worth to know something more about the relations between them to understand the role this group plays in the proper functioning of our body. We should realize that vitamin B6 is very important in the process of producing vitamin B3 (PP, niacin). It also needs vitamin B3 and B2 to be able to transform chemically. Vitamin’s B1 metabolic disorders can also lead to vitamin’s B6 metabolic disorders, and, what is also worth noticing, vitamin’s B6 deficiency makes it harder for our body to assimilate vitamin B12. That is why it is vital not to ignore the importance of the whole ‘B’ group.
Like it was said before, vitamin B6’s deficiency can have some serious consequences when it comes to our health. First of all the lack of it can increase the level of homocysteine what can lead to coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis. Not enough B6 in our body can also result in skin conditions like eczema or seborrhea. Since vitamin B6 is also important for our nervous system, lack of it can cause some neurological symptoms as well.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Vitamin B6 – its role and interactions with vitamin B12, B3 and other vitamins from the B group_49573.aspx
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Author Resource :
I am a web design specialist, a passionate writer and a healthy lifestyle enthusiast. I write articles about diet supplements like melatonin or vitamin B12 and about healthy food.
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Keywords :
melatonin, vitamin B12,
Category :
Health and Fitness
:
Supplements
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