Overview               Affect the body’s use of protein, carbohydrates…         Benefits               Promotes healthy skin, hair, and normal red…         Natural Sources               Potatoes, Salmon, Shrimp…         How to Use               Liquid: the best form due to its high bioavailability...         Cautions               Stress resulting from illness, burns…         Deficiency               Weakness, mental confusion, irritability, nervousness…         Side Effects               Depression when taking with oral contraceptives…         Interactions               Tobacco/alcohol - Reduces vitamin absorption rates…

How This Vitamin Works in Your Body:
Promotes healthy cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems
Supports healthy skin, hair, and normal red-blood-cell formation
Assists in production of food energy
Possible anemia treatment
Treatment of cycloserine and isoniazid poisoning
Keeps normal homocysteine levels
Functions as a tranquilizer

Healthy nerve and muscle functioning
Blood cholesterol may decrease
Inflammation of arthritis and carpal-tunnel syndrome may be reduced
Reduction of PMS symptoms
May reduce asthma symptoms
Increase levels of serotonin to ease sleep

The following may benefit from taking this supplement:
Those with increased nutritional needs
Pregnant or breastfeeding women
Substance abusers
Long periods of excess stress
Estrogen and oral contraceptive users
Hyperthyroidism sufferers
Those with high homocysteine levels

Where This Vitamin is Found:
Avocados
Bananas
Beef liver
Chicken
Fortified cereals
Ground beef
Ham
Hazelnuts (filberts)
Lentils
Potatoes
Salmon
Shrimp
Soybeans
Sunflower seeds
Tuna
Wheat germ

How to Use:
Available as:
Liquid: the best form due to its high bioavailability and fast absorption. Always choose liquid as your first choice when supplementing your diet.

Tablets: available

Recommended Daily Intakes
Men: 1.3 mg
Men (Over 50): 1.7 mg
Women: 1.3 mg
Women (Over 50): 1.5 mg
Pregnancy: 1.9 mg
Lactation: 2.0 mg

Cautions:
Consult your doctor if you have:
Stress resulting from illness, burns, accident, or recent surgery
Intestinal problems
Liver disease
Overactive thyroid
Sickle-cell disease

Over 55:
A marginal deficiency of this vitamin is more likely to occur.

Pregnancy:
Keep dosage within DRI.
Avoid large doses. May cause pyridoxine dependency syndrome in child.

Breastfeeding:
Large doses may cause dependency in child.

Storage:
Heat and/or moisture may alter the vitamin. Refrigeration is recommended.

Symptoms of Deficiency:
Symptoms include weakness, mental confusion, irritability, nervousness, inability to sleep, hyperactivity, anemia, skin lesions, tongue discoloration, and kidney stones.

Overdose:
Signs of Overdose:
Sustained periods of large doses may cause reversible nerve damage. The excess of vitamin B-6 may also lead to kidney stone formation.

Side Effects:
Reaction or effect : What to do
Depression when taking with oral contraceptives : Stop use and consult your doctor.
Large doses may cause dependency : Keep doses within DRI.
Large doses for several months severe sensory neuropathy : Stop use and consult doctor immediately.

Interactions:
Interacts with : Combined effect
Estrogen or oral contraceptives : Reduces vitamin absorption rates.
Tobacco/alcohol : Reduces vitamin absorption rates.
Phenytoin : Large doses affect medicine absorption.
Levodopa : Keeps medicine from controlling Parkinson’s symptoms.
Chloramphenicol, cycloserine, ethionamide, hydralazine, isoniazid, penicillamine, and immunosuppressants : Excretion of vitamin increased and may cause anemia or peripheral neuritis.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)          Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid Folate)