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B vitamins are essential: they help your body make energy or get it from the food you eat, and they help form red blood cells. In addition to those essential functions, vitamin B6 on its own has many more health benefits. One of these major benefits is that vitamin B6 can aid in supporting your mood, including anxiety, depression and panic attacks. Where can you get vitamin B6, and what health benefits can it have for you? Keep reading for this vitamin spotlight on vitamin B6. What Is Vitamin B6? The vitamin B complex family plays an important role in many physical and psychological functions, such as: Helping maintain your metabolism Supporting liver function Supporting nerve function Promoting skin and eye health Vitamin B6 - composed of the compounds pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxine - is involved in the body’s daily functions and helps with movement, energy expenditure, memory, and blood flow. It has a myriad of other benefits as well, from boosting your mood to balancing your blood sugar to even acting as a natural painkiller. Dietary Sources Of Vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 consumption is easily increased by incorporating a variety of B6-rich foods into your diet. Some of the foods highest in vitamin B6 include: Pistachios Tuna Avocado Turkey breast Chicken breast Sesame seeds Grass-fed beef Simple modifications to your diet like adding sunflower seeds or avocados to your salad can help increase your B6 intake. Symptoms Of Vitamin B6 Deficiency Due to its importance, a deficiency in vitamin B6 can affect many of the body’s functions, and can be connected with some neuropsychiatric disorders. Deficiency is generally uncommon, but has been observed more among older people and may be connected to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s in those cases. Having an autoimmune disease or impaired kidney function may affect nutrient absorption and thus increase chances of a deficiency in B6 or other vitamins. Some potential symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency include: Confusion Muscle pains Migraines Seizures Fatigue Mood changes Benefits Of Vitamin B6 Though a deficiency in B6 can cause health issues, ensuring you're consuming an adequate amount of B6 can have health benefits. 1. Supports Cognitive Function Micronutrient levels can affect cognitive function at all ages; deficiencies can affect memory function and can contribute to cognitive impairment, and correct levels help support the regulation of mental function and mood. Vitamin B6 affects cognitive function by controlling homocysteine levels; if the levels are too high from a B6 deficiency, it can put you at risk for central nervous system damage. It affects mood by aiding in production of serotonin and norepinephrine, which help control mood and energy. 2. Helps With Certain Types Of Anemia Vitamin B6 is essential for iron to convert into hemoglobin. Certain types of anemia, such as sideroblastic microcytic anemia, are linked to vitamin B6 deficiency due to the lower levels of hemoglobin synthesis. Microcytic anemia causes the body’s red blood cells to be small and more pale than usual. Increasing B6 levels can be used as a treatment for this anemia by raising plasmapyridoxal 5'phosphate (PLP) levels. Of course, it's always best to speak with a qualified health professional before beginning any treatment plan. 3. Maintains Your Blood Vessels Vitamin B6 aids in maintaining healthy blood vessels by regulating levels of the aforementioned homocysteine. If your B6 levels are insufficient, homocysteine - acquired by eating meat and other protein sources - builds up, damaging blood vessel linings. Combining B6 with folate, or vitamin B9, which is found in spinach, liver, asparagus, and brussels sprouts, increases its effectiveness for lowering homocysteine levels, and can actually heal some of the blood cell damage. 4. May Reduce Your Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease If your blood vessel lining is damaged, it can put you at a higher risk for heart disease, such as heart attack or stroke. In addition, a 2012 study found that a mild B6 deficiency may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is noted that due to the amount of critical functions in the body that involve vitamin B6, it can be challenging to create a cause and effect relationship between vitamin B6 and risk of cardiovascular disease. 5. May relieve depression Vitamin B6 is a cofactor in the tryptophan-serotonin pathway where serotonin is your “feel-good” hormone. A study found that low levels of plasma vitamin B6 (in the form of PLP) are associated with symptoms of depression (link to this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15479988) 6. May relieve anxiety and panic attacks A study found that low levels of vitamin B6 and iron were associated with panic attacks (PA) orhyperventilation attacks (HVA) (link to study here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23603926) Questions? Ask Dr. JJ If you have any questions about how increasing your vitamin B6 levels can help you, contact me, Dr. JJ. We can book a consultation where we can discuss natural options that are available to help increase your vitamin B6 levels (if appropriate), and help you get on track for a healthier lifestyle. Contact me, Toronto naturopathic doctor, today, and let's work on getting to the bottom of your health concerns.

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