According to scientists, vitamin B6 benefits your body in multiple ways. It is involved in no less than 100 different chemical reactions in your body per minute.
It functions mostly as a co-enzyme - which is exactly what it sounds like. Vitamin B6 works with other enzymes to regulate all sorts of processes in your body.
Studies have shown the benefits of vitamin B6 in relieving edema and reducing water retention, improving magnesium deficiency, peripheral neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, rheumatism, cardiovascular occlusions and myocardial infarcts, learning and developmental disorders, and autism.
Technically, vitamin B6 is an umbrella term given to three different vitamins, pyridoxine, pridoxal, and pyridoxamine. The three B6 vitamins work together with other enzymes to speed up chemical reactions in cells. Those processes include making amino acids, creating neurotransmitters like serotonin and metabolizing energy released in creating red blood cells. Vitamin B6 benefits also include helping to balance hormones and strengthen the immune system.
It's possible to get vitamin B6 benefits by making sure that you include plenty of seeds and beans, wheat bran and beef in your diet, but most doctors agree that vitamin b6 benefits are often maximized when it is taken as an optimized supplement that is more bioavailable.
The activated form of vitamin B6, pyridoxal-5-phosphate or P-5-P, is the form of vitamin B6 that the body utilizes best. Because a large number of people can't convert vitamin B6 to P-5-P, doctors recommend that at least 20% of the daily intake of vitamin B6 be in the form of a supplement containing P-5-P, the activated form of vitamin B6 in order to derive the maximum vitamin B6 benefits.