Vitamin B6
What is vitamin B6?
Vitamin B6 is also called pyridoxine, which was previously known as pyridoxol. Your body uses Vitamin B6 to metabolise protein into amino acids and vice versa. Pyridoxine is also a crucial co-factor in most biochemical reactions in the body.Pyridoxine was grouped as a B-vitamin in 1938 and produced synthetically for the first time in 1939. The bounded form of this vitamin can be found in the liver, brain, kidney and spleen, although the greatest amount (80 – 90 percent) is stored in the muscle. Pyridoxine, like all the other B-complex vitamins and vitamin C, is a water-soluble vitamin. The B-complex vitamins are grouped together because of their similar physical properties and their presence in similar food sources.
Because of the close inter-relationship between the B-complex vitamins, it is important to note that the inadequate intake of one of the vitamins can result in the impaired utilisation of the others.
What vitamin B6 does for you
Vitamin B6 is utilised in the body in the form of pyridoxal phosphate (PLP). This coenzyme is an important factor in the metabolism of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. A coenzyme is a compound that plays an important role in the functioning of an enzyme, helping the enzyme to catalyse specific reactions in the body's cells.For this reason, vitamin B6 enables protein to repair tissue such as muscle. It’s needed to keep your skin, nervous system and brain healthy, and for the formation of antibodies, which help fight infection. It also helps your body produce haemoglobin, the read more
