Understanding Vitamin B6 Deficiency and Its Symptoms

When you have a vitamin B6 deficiency, various problems can occur. Vitamin B6 plays an essential role in many bodily functions. A deficiency of vitamin B6 can lead to various symptoms that you will notice in both your body and mind.

What does B6 do to your body?

Vitamin B6 helps regulate various bodily functions, including a few functions that are particularly relevant to athletes. Consider, for example, the processing of proteins and amino acids, which are important in the protein synthesis of your muscles. In addition, vitamin B6 is needed for the production of hemoglobin, which in turn ensures that oxygen can be transported to your muscles. Is that all? No. Vitamin B6 plays an important role in your immune system and is involved in the production of certain neurotransmitters and myelin, which ensure that your cognitive functions function efficiently.

Why B6 deficiency?

There are several reasons why you may be deficient in vitamin B6. The most logical is malnutrition. If you don’t get enough food with vitamin B6, you run the risk of a vitamin B6 deficiency. However, there are a lot of products that contain vitamin B6. Both animal and vegetable. When you get a balanced diet, you don’t actually have to worry about a shortage. Unless you have a genetic defect that makes your body less able to process vitamin B6 from your diet or you use medication that impairs vitamin B6 metabolism.

Vitamin B6 deficiency symptoms

Because of all the different functions that B6 has in your body, you will experience a vitamin B6 deficiency in many different ways. A few common symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency are:

• Skin conditions such as dermatitis, skin scaling and chapped lips
• Anemia. This often manifests itself in fatigue, weakness and pale skin
• Neurological problems such as tingling and numbness in hands and feet
• Mental problems such as mood swings, irritability and depression

Do you suffer from one or more of the above symptoms? Consult a doctor before taking vitamin B6 supplements. Too much vitamin B6 can cause serious nerve damage and you want to avoid it at all times.

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