NUTRIENT LIBRARY

Nutrient Library - Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6

What does it do?
How much do you need?
What are the best food sources?
What happens if you don’t get enough?
What happens if you get too much?
What are some recipes that are good sources of vitamin B6?
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What does it do?

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays a significant role in helping make amino acids that build body cells, including muscles. Vitamin B6 also helps produce red blood cells, infection-fighting antibodies and insulin (a hormone that uses glucose, synthesizes protein and stores fat).

How much do you need?

The following table lists the recommended intake for healthy people based on current scientific information.

Life Stage Group	Recommended Dietary Allowance / Adequate Intake (see note below)	Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)
Infants	(milligrams/day)	(milligrams/day)
0-6 mo. 7-12 mo.	0.1* 0.3*	Not determinable for infants due to lack of data on adverse effects in this age group and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Children
1-3 yr. 4-8 yr.	0.5 0.6	30 40
Males
9-13 yr. 14-18 yr. 19-30 yr. 31-50 yr. 51-70 yr. > 70 yr.	1.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.7 1.7	60 80 100 100 100 100
Females
9-13 yr. 14-18 yr. 19-30 yr. 31-50 yr. 51-70 yr. > 70 yr.	1.0 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.5	60 80 100 100 100 100
Pregnancy
< 18 yr. 19-30 yr. 31-50 yr.	1.9 1.9 1.9	80 100 100
Lactation
< 18 yr. 19-30 yr. 31-50 yr.	2.0 2.0 2.0	80 100 100

NOTE: The table is adapted from the Dietary Reference Intakes reports. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), when available, are in bold type; Adequate Intakes (AIs) are followed by an asterisk(*). RDAs and AIs may both be used as goals for individual intake. RDAs are set to meet the needs of almost all individuals (97 to 98 percent) in a group. For healthy breastfed infants, the AI is the mean intake. The AI for other life stage and gender groups is believed to cover the needs of all individuals in the group, but lack of data means the percentage of individuals covered by this intake cannot be specified with confidence.
UL = The maximum level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects. Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water and supplements.

What are the best food sources?

Rich food sources of vitamin B6 include chicken, fish, whole grains, beans, fortified cereals and nuts. Some soy-based meat substitutes are fortified with vitamin B6. See more food sources and calculate your daily intake.

What happens if you don’t get enough?

Vitamin B6 deficiency, while rare, can occur in people consuming poor-quality diets. Symptoms typically don’t occur until the later stages of deficiency. Signs of deficiency can include skin rashes, depression, nausea, convulsions and confusion.

What happens if you get too much?

No adverse effects have been associated with high intakes of vitamin B6 from foods. Very large doses of supplemental vitamin B6 (in the form of pyridoxine) have been associated with painful nerve damage in the extremities (e.g., fingers, toes).

What are some recipes that are good sources of vitamin B6?

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