What Is Vitamin B6 & What Foods Can I Find It In?

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble B-vitamin that is needed for more than 100 enzyme reactions involved in metabolism.

Vitamin B6 is not one vitamin, it is the generic name for six different compounds that have vitamin B6 activity.

Vitamin B6 is believed to play a potentially important role in the incorporation of iron into protoporphyrin, which is the final step in heme synthesis.

Vitamin B6 An Important Vitamin

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that’s naturally present in many foods.

Six different forms of vitamin B6 exist. (source ◳)

Vitamin B6 has many benefits, like reduce the risk for CVD, stroke, and cancers.

It has also been shown to be beneficial in managing PMS. Check out all the benefits vitamin B6 possesses in Vitamin B6: 9 Research-Backed Benefits .

Careful When Cooking Foods Containing Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is very sensitive. It is easily lost when processing and cooking.

But also when canning fruits and vegetables, freezing fruits, and processing grains and meats into by-products. (source ◳)

Vitamin B6 Deficiency

Since vitamin B6 is one of the more common B vitamins in foods, nutritional deficiency is rare.

Vitamin B6 deficiency can be caused by inadequate intake or poor absorption.

Deficiency in the body may result in mental impairment, behavioral disorders, and neurological abnormalities.

Prolonged deficiency can lead to depression and confusion. (source ◳)

Vitamin B6 In Food

The best natural food sources of vitamin B6 are fish, beef liver and other organ meats, potatoes, and other starchy vegetables, and some fruits. (source ◳)

Many foods are fortified with vitamin B6.

Foods You Can Find Vitamin B6 In

You find vitamin B6 mostly in breakfast cereal, beverages, baby food and snacks.

Examples of food sources include

• Fruit-Flavored Drink
• Enriched Wheat Bran Flakes
• Kellogg's Product 19
• General Mills Total
• Special K

Foods in our nutrition tool

You can find regularly updated, top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.

If you are interested in what foods contain the most vitamin B6, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Vitamin B6.