The Moody Vitamin - B6

Ciao Nutrinutters!

I hope everyone has been having an amazing year so far! 2014 has come with many many blessings in this nutrinut's way..I just started my new job and am loving every second of it - who better to share this amazing news than with my nutrinutters :)

Let's get back to business though shall we? Still having a few vitamins to go before closing the B-files - It's B6's turn for some spotlight attention...

Clearly this vitamin had to have a name to match all the other complicated ones so are you guys ready for B6 thought that it needed to stand out more than the others somehow and decided that one form is simply not enough - this vitamin can be found in 3 forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine. Although it can be found in these 3 forms, B6 is also called Pyridoxine, may be due to it being the most stable form out of the 3 even if it is not the most active of them.
this one????

Why is this vitamin so Moody??

Being part of the B-files, it could only have similar traits with the other B vitamins. Pyridoxine, like the B's we've discussed, help convert nutrients into energy for our cells. It plays a special role in pulling carbohydrate out of storage and also converting amino acids into glucose, both to be used as energy for the cells.

B6 also plays a role in the nervous system by participating in the body's production of a few neutransmitters (these are chemicals that carry signals from one nerve cell to the other) such as serotonin and norepinephrine and GABA(influences your mood, hence the moody vitamin).

You might also have heard that people who don't get enough of B6 are at higher risk of heart disease. This is because this vitamin, along with B9 and B12, help lower blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that your body produces when you digest proteins and is strongly influenced by your diet. Although it is not clear how effective B6 is in heart disease, high levels of homocysteine is considered by the American Heart Association to be a risk factor of cardiovascular disease.

A few other ways B6 participate in the healthy functioning of our bodies include the making of red blood cells and cells of the immune system.

How much do I need???

As you can see, this vitamin is pretty important and you might be thinking that for sure you must need tons of it in your body, right? But just like all the other vitamins and mineral, it is considered a MICROnutrient for a reason - although very important, it is not needed in big quantities, like the MACROnutrients protein, fats and carbohydrates.

The needs for an adult male and female under 50 years is 1.3 milligrams per day. It slightly increases in adults over 50 years, males needing 1.7 mg while females 1.5 mg. Pregnant and lactating women, like in the previous vitamins, have higher needs of 1.9 mg and 2.0 mg respectively.

What foods should I have??

Some great sourced of B6 include chicken, fish, pork,milk, eggs, whole grains, soybeans, potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds and dark green vegetables. Some breads and similar products might have vitamin B6 added as part of its fortified flour.

Yet again, it is not likely that one can overdose in this vitamin through foods since most good sources contain less than 1 mg per serving. For those of you who are interested in taking multivitamins, it is very important that before anything you consult with your physician and dietitian. I say this because taking too much also has its consequences. B6 has a tolerable upper intake level of 100 mg per day and has been reported to cause changes of sensation in hands and feet.

To conclude this week's post, I wanted to share with you the song that I can't stop listening to while writing this post. (Yes, I am one of those that when I like a song I just can't stop listening to it...how about you??)

If by any chance this one doesn't play in your device, it's called "Elastic Heart" by Sia...Hope you enjoy it as much as me ;)

Have an amazing week everyone and see you all again next Monday!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Sources: American Herat Association, Linus Pauling Institute, University of Maryland Medical Center, Nutrition 411, Nutrition for Dummies