Vitamin B₆

Article By:

Gershoff, Stanley N. Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.

Last reviewed:August 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.734210

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A vitamin that exists as three chemically related and water-soluble forms found in food. Vitamin B₆ is a water-soluble vitamin that appears in three similar forms: pyridoxine (pyridoxol), pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine (see illustration). In addition, each of the three forms of vitamin B₆ can appear as a phosphorylated variant. Nutritionally, vitamin B₆ is required for numerous chemical reactions related to various physiological processes in the human body. However, humans cannot synthesize vitamin B₆; therefore, it is necessary to obtain the vitamin from the diet. Besides being found naturally in many foods (for example, poultry, fish, potatoes, and bananas), vitamin B₆ is often taken as a supplement. Studies have determined that vitamin B₆ plays a significant role in normal brain development, as well as proper neurologic and immunologic functioning. See also: Brain; Food; Nutrition; Vitamin

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