The B vitamins do all kinds of wonderful things for your most important muscle, your heart.  Vitamin B6 is no exception.

Vitamin B6 is called the ‘workhorse’ of nutrients because it performs more than 100 jobs within the body, constantly throughout the day.  Its main function is as a coenzyme, speeding up the chemical reactions in the cells.

You can find vitamin B6 in a wide range of foods including meat, beans, poultry, fish, fortified cereals and some fruits and vegetables.  Getting therapeutic amounts of vitamin B6 can be difficult from food alone.  Imagine this; you would have to eat 74 bananas to get the amount of vitamin B6 in a single 50mg supplement pill!

The relationship between the heart and vitamin B6 is well documented.  A deficiency of vitamin B6 may increase your levels of homocysteine, an amino acid normally found in your blood1.  Increased levels of homocysteine are a risk factor for heart disease and stoke.  Elevated homocysteine levels can damage coronary arteries and cause blood clotting.

However, vitamin B6 does not just impact homocysteine levels.  One study of 1,550 people from 19 European clinics found that those who placed in the bottom fifth of the group in terms of vitamin B6 levels had twice the risk of heart disease, regardless of their homocysteine levels2.

So, the connection between vitamin B6 and a healthy heart is clear.  Strongly consider adding a vitamin B6 supplement to your daily routine.  Vitamin B6 is available from your local health store or click here to purchase from Physician’s Preference.

1. Selhub J, Jacques PF, Bostom AG, D’Agostino RB, Wilson PW, Belanger AJ, O’Leary DH, Wolf PA, Scaefer EJ, Rosenberg IH. Association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and extracranial carotid-artery stenosis. N Engl J Med 1995; 332:286-291.

2. Reader’s Digest, The Healing Power of Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs. 1999; pg 375.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 31st, 2007 at 10:16 am and is filed under Health & Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.