Effects on the whole body
This hard-working vitamin does many important tasks. It affects your mood, appetite, sleep, and thinking. You need it to fight infections, turn food into energy, and help your blood deliver oxygen to all corners of your body.
Weakening energy.
If you have very little vitamin B6 in your body, you may become anemic, meaning you have too few red blood cells. A lack of vitamin B6 makes you feel tired and weak. Anemia can also be caused by a lack of iron in your body. Lack of other vitamins, such as B12 and folic acid, can also cause these symptoms.
Rashes
Signs that you are deficient in vitamin B6 may show up on your skin. Chemical changes are occurring in your body. This most often results in a scaly, itchy rash, usually on the face, called seborrheic dermatitis. Over time, the rash can become more and more prominent. If you have a minor deficiency, symptoms may appear months or years later.
Dry, chapped lips.
Your mouth can be a good place to spot any vitamin B6 deficiency. Your lips may be flaky and the corners may be chapped. Your tongue may be swollen.
Weak immune system.
A lack of vitamin B6 can make it hard for your body to resist infections and disease. It can become a vicious cycle. Cancer and other diseases can deplete your vitamin B6 supply. So you will need to get even more vitamin to make up for it. You can easily do this with a B6 supplement.
Numb hands or feet
Are your fingers tingling? Do your feet feel numb? A nerve disorder called peripheral neuropathy may be the cause. A lack of vitamin B6 may help trigger it. It and other B vitamins like B12 are needed to keep your nerves healthy.
A cranky child.
A cranky baby may be trying to tell you that he or she is low on vitamin B6. This can happen if you feed your baby only breast milk for more than 6 months. Too little vitamin can even lead to seizures. It can also make your baby’s hearing more sensitive, so noises can easily upset him.
Morning sickness.
Moms-to-be need more vitamin B6 in their diet than anyone else. If you feel nauseous or vomiting (and not just in the morning), a vitamin B6 supplement may help. But you should only take it under the guidance of your doctor.
Foggy brain.
Vitamin B6 helps regulate your mood and memory. If you notice feelings of confusion or sadness, especially if you are a high school student, a lack of this vitamin may be the cause. It can increase the likelihood that you will become depressed after a stroke, hip fracture, or other serious illness.
Cancer
Low levels of vitamin B6 may play a role in your chances of getting cancer. Researchers don’t know exactly why. But studies have linked vitamin B6 deficiency to stomach and esophageal cancer. Lack of this vitamin can also increase your chances of developing cancers caused by steroid hormones, such as breast and prostate cancer.
Daily Dose
The amount of vitamin B6 you need each day depends mostly on your age. Children aged 7-12 months need 0.3 milligrams a day. You need more as you grow up. If you’re over 50, you need at least 5 times as much: 1.7 milligrams a day for men and 1.5 milligrams for women. Pregnant women need it the most, 1.9 milligrams a day.
Sources of vitamin B6:
Protein
It’s easy to get all the vitamin B6 you need from foods. Poultry, beef, and fish are some of the healthiest sources. Just 100 grams of tuna contains almost half of what an adult needs each day. The same amount of salmon will provide 30%, and chicken will provide 25%.
Vegetables and fruit
Love starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, and corn. These are one of the main ways to get vitamin B6. Fruit is another major source (except for citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits).
Causes of deficiency
Serious vitamin B6 deficiency is rare. But some elderly people may become depleted if they don’t eat enough food or because their bodies don’t absorb nutrients as well as they used to. Kidney disease and other conditions that interfere with the small intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients can also be a culprit.
What about supplements?
If you can’t get enough vitamin B6 with food, supplements can fill the gap. Most multivitamins contain vitamin B6, or you can take it separately. Tell your doctor if you are taking any medications or taking other supplements. And be careful!
