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Natural Home Cures · Mangosteen science

Vitamin B6
& Mangosteen

Vitamin B6.
One vitamin family. Many cellular reactions.

Protein metabolism · Enzymes
Explore the science ↓
Editorial illustration: B6 in familiar foods.
The everyday food connectionB6 in familiar foods.Fish is one of several foods that supply vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6 helps the body process proteins, make nerve messengers and form hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in blood. This article explains B6’s active form, its everyday food sources and how whole mangosteen pericarp is prepared for our capsules.

100+Enzyme reactions involve B6,
mostly in protein metabolism.(1)

01 · Begin with the essentials

One Vitamin, Several Related Forms

Vitamin B6 is the name for a family of related compounds. Pyridoxine is one form; the body can convert it into an active helper used by enzymes.(1)

02 · From a vitamin to a coenzyme

Meet PLP.
An Active Form of B6.

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, shortened to PLP, is an active form of B6. It works with enzymes to help chemical reactions happen.(1)

B6Pyridoxine
PLPPyridoxal 5′-phosphate

Simplified conversion overview. PLP helps enzymes carry out many reactions.

03 · What does vitamin B6 do?

Three Important Jobs for B6

Conceptual protein enzyme with a cofactor in a binding pocket

Helps process amino acids.

B6 helps enzymes process amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.(1)

Conceptual neuron illustrating nervous-system communication

Helps make chemical messengers.

B6 helps make several neurotransmitters, the chemicals nerves use to pass messages.(2)

Conceptual red blood cells illustrating oxygen transport

Helps build hemoglobin.

PLP helps make heme, the iron-containing part of hemoglobin that binds oxygen in red blood cells.(2)

Nutrition in focus

B6 Status in Inflammatory Conditions

B6 also supports immune function and helps the body process homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood. One of the nerve messengers made with B6 is serotonin, which participates in mood regulation.(3)

A study that assessed 37 people with rheumatoid arthritis at one point in time found relationships between B6 status, pain and disease activity. The researchers suggested that inflammation itself might contribute to lower B6 status. This identifies a relationship worth studying; it does not establish that taking B6 treats the condition.(4)

04 · Many systems share the same helper

B6 Also Helps Process Carbohydrates

B6 helps enzymes release stored carbohydrate from glycogen, a reserve found in muscles and the liver. Its active form also supports many amino-acid reactions.(1)

PLPStored-carbohydrate breakdown
PLPNeurotransmitter pathways
PLPHeme synthesis

Which foods provide vitamin B6?

05 · B6 across the diet

Everyday Food Sources.

Fish, chickpeas, potatoes and bananas are examples of foods containing vitamin B6.(1)

Illustrative cooked salmon on a ceramic plate

Fish

Salmon and tuna

Illustrative chickpeas and lentils in ceramic bowls

Chickpeas

A plant source of B6

Illustrative baked potato on a ceramic plate

Potatoes

Starchy vegetables contribute B6

Illustrative ripe bananas on limestone

Bananas

One of many fruit sources

Natural Home Cures mangosteen capsule bottle and fresh fruit on sunlit limestone

06 · The whole-pericarp perspective

Whole Mangosteen Pericarp, Freeze-Dried

Our Freeze-Dried Rich Pericarp Mangosteen Capsules use the pericarp—the thick outer rind—of Garcinia mangostana.

After harvest, the pericarp is freeze-dried and prepared for capsules as a whole botanical ingredient.

Explore our mangosteen →
The research behind this article

Source References

4 sources Show referencesHide references
  1. 01
    Nutrition referenceVitamin B6: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.

    National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements.

    Full citation
    National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.
    View source
  2. 02
    Research referenceVitamin B6 and Its Role in Cell Metabolism and Physiology

    Parra, Stahl and Hellmann (2018) · Cells 7:84.

    Full citation
    Parra, Stahl and Hellmann (2018). Vitamin B6 and Its Role in Cell Metabolism and Physiology. Cells 7:84.
    View source
  3. 03
    Nutrition researchNIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B6 — Consumer
    View source ↗
  4. 04
    Nutrition researchChiang et al. (2003): Abnormal vitamin B6 status is associated with severity of symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
    View source ↗