Vitamin B6 As Essential Vitamin For Your Health
By Sam Cyrus

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that is also known as 'pyridoxine' in digestion. There are three major chemical forms of the vitamin B6 : pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine. It performs a wide variety of functions in your body and is essential for your good health. For example, this vitamin is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. The nervous and immune systems need vitamin B6 to function efficiently, and it is also needed for the conversion of tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin). The vitamin B6 is also essential for red blood cell metabolism.

Hemoglobin within red blood cells carries oxygen to tissues. Your body needs vitamin B6 to make hemoglobin. Vitamin B6 also helps increase the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. A vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia that is similar to iron deficiency anemia.

Vitamin B6 deficiency can occur in individuals with poor quality diets that are deficient in many nutrients. Symptoms occur during later stages of deficiency, when intake has been very low for an extended time. Signs of vitamin B6 deficiency include dermatitis (skin inflammation), glossitis (a sore tongue), depression, confusion, and convulsions. Vitamin B6 deficiency also can cause anemia. Some of these symptoms can also result from a variety of medical conditions other than vitamin B6 deficiency.

There are a lot of food sources of vitamin B6. The best sources of the vitamin B6 are : cereals, potatos, fish including salmon and tuna fish, meats such as pork and chicken, avocados, bananas, beans and peanut butter, and many vegetables The foods will contribute to your vitamin B6 intake.