Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that was first discovered in the 1930's. Essential to overall good health, Vitamin B6 performs a wide range of tasks in your body. To complete the metabolism of protein, Vitamin B6 is a required partner for the chemical reactions of more than 100 different enzymes. Neurotransmitters in the brain need Vitamin B6 to achieve proper chemical balance. Red blood cells also need Vitamin B6 in their metabolism. Both your immune system and your nervous system require Vitamin B6 to function properly.

Vitamin B6 also known as Pyridoxine is a vitamin that aids the body in the metabolism of fat as well as protein. It also helps with normal brain function and the formation of red blood cells. Vitamin B6 may help maintain chemical balance among body fluids while promoting healthy eyes, tongue and nervous system. Vitamin B6 is thought to be especially helpful in aiding the body in preventing cracks at mouth corners, skin breakouts, and other stress-related skin problems. The lack of B6 will reduce the formation of niacin from tryptophan and can cause homocysteinuria and oxaluria that may have serious consequences.

Indeed, Vitamin B6 deficiency results in an increased formation of stones (calcium oxalate) in the kidneys and/or throughout the urinary tract system and the retention of homocystine in the blood, contributing to the development of atherosclerosis (cardiovascular disease). Results of a recent meta-analysis in Oxford, England at the Radcliffe Infirmary demonstrated that Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid (and to a lesser extend Vitamin B6, whose presence is necessary to convert homocysteine to the amino acid L-cysteine) were necessary vitamins involved in the body's cleansing process called methylation, wherein dangerous homocysteine levels are reduced. Lowering homocysteine levels has indicated a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 30%-40% (BMJ, 316(7135):894-898, March1998).