Vitamin B-6

This is one in a series of fact sheets containing information to help you select foods that provide adequate daily amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber as you follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines are -

Eat a Variety of Foods
Maintain Desirable Weight
Avoid Too Much Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol
Eat Foods with Adequate Starch and Fiber
Avoid Too Much Sugar
Avoid Too Much Sodium
If You Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation

WHAT IS MEANT BY A GOOD FOOD SOURCE?

A good food source of vitamin B-6 contains a substantial amount of vitamin B-6 in relation to its calorie content and contributes at least 10 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (U.S. RDA) for vitamin B-6 in a selected serving size. The U.S. RDA for vitamin B-6 is 2 milligrams per day. (The U.S. RDA given is for adults, except pregnant or lactating women, and children over 4 years of age.

The U.S. RDA for vitamin B-6 is the amount of the vitamin used as a standard in nutrition labeling of foods. This allowance is based on the 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for 24 sex-age categories set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The 1989 RDA has been set at 1.6 milligrams per day for women 19 to 50 years of age and 2 milligrams for men 19 to 50 years of age.

As you can see, in 1985 and 1986, 32 percent of the vitamin B-6 in the diets of women came from meat, poultry, and fish; 29 percent from fruits and vegetables; and 23 percent from grain products. Foods that contain small amounts of vitamin B-6 but are not considered good sources can contribute significant amounts of vitamin B-6 to an individual's diet if these foods are eaten often or in large amounts.

WHY DO WE NEED VITAMIN B-6?

Vitamin B-6, a water-soluble vitamin, helps use protein to build body tissue and aids in the metabolism of fat. The need for vitamin B-6 is directly related to protein intake. As the intake of protein increases, the need for vitamin B-6 increases.

DO WE GET ENOUGH VITAMIN B-6?

According to recent USDA surveys, the average intake of vitamin B-6 by Americans was below the RDA. The average intake for women 19 to 50 years of age was about 70 percent of the recommended amount. Men tended to have higher intakes than women of the same age, averaging above 90 percent of the recommendations for men.

HOW CAN WE GET ENOUGH VITAMIN B-6?

Eating a variety of foods that contain vitamin B-6 is the best way to get an adequate amount. Healthy individuals who eat a balanced diet rarely need supplements. Intakes of vitamin B-6 tend to be low in relation to recommendations, and there aren't that many foods that are really good sources; thus, it may take special care to ensure an adequate intake. The list of foods will help you select those that are good sources of vitamin B-6 as you follow the Dietary Guidelines. The list of good sources was derived from the same nutritive value of foods tables used to analyze information from recent food consumption surveys of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Information Service.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND VITAMIN B-6 PRODUCTS

Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition

Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible

The Vitamin and Mineral Food Counter

Nutrient A-Z: A User's Guide to Foods, Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements

Nature's Pharmacy: Your Personal Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, Trace Elements, Their Food Sources + A Detailed Sympton List

Food: The Chemistry of its Components

The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book

HOW TO PREPARE FOODS TO RETAIN VITAMIN B-6

Vitamin B-6 can be lost in preparation, cooking, or storage. Cooking losses occur when some vitamin B-6 is dissolved in the cooking liquid. To retain vitamin B-6:

Serve fruits raw.
Cook foods in a minimal amount of water.
Cook for the shortest possible time.
Roast or broil meat and poultry.

WHAT ABOUT FORTIFIED FOODS?

Most ready-to-eat and instant-prepared cereals are fortified with vitamin B-6. Fortified ready-to-eat cereals usually contain at least 25 percent of the U.S. RDA for vitamin B-6. Since cereals vary, check the label on the package for the percentage of the U.S. RDA for a specific cereal.

WHAT IS A SERVING?

The serving sizes used on the list of good sources are only estimates of the amounts of food you might eat. The amount of nutrient in a serving depends on the weight of the serving. For example, 1/2 cup of a cooked vegetable contains more vitamin B-6 than 1/2 cup of the same vegetable served raw, because a serving of the cooked vegetable weighs more. Therefore, the cooked vegetable may appear on the list while the raw form does not. The raw vegetable provides the nutrient - but just not enough in a 1/2-cup serving to be considered a good source.

WHAT ARE GOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN B-6?

FOOD SELECTED PERCENTAGE OF SERVING SIZE U.S. RDA (1)

BREADS, CEREALS, AND OTHER GRAIN PRODUCTS

(2) Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared 2/3 cup ++ Ready-to-eat cereals, fortified 1 ounce ++

FRUITS

Banana, raw 1 medium ++ Prunes, dried, cooked, unsweetened 1/2 cup + Prune juice, unsweetened 1/2 cup + Watermelon, raw About 1 3/4 cups diced +

VEGETABLES

Plantain, green or ripe, boiled 1 medium ++ Potato, baked or boiled, with skin 1 medium + Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup + Sweetpotato, baked or boiled 1 medium + Tomato juice, tomato-juice cocktail, or tomato-vegetable juice cocktail; canned 3/4 cup +

MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, AND ALTERNATES

Meat and Poultry Beef: Brisket, braised, lean only 3 ounces + Ground; extra-lean, lean, or regular; baked or broiled 1 patty + Pot roast, braised, lean only 3 ounces + Roast, rib, roasted, lean only 3 ounces + Shortribs, braised, lean only 3 ounces + Steak; baked, broiled, or braised; lean only 3 ounces + Stew meat, simmered, lean only 3 ounces + Chicken, without skin: Breast: Broiled 1/2 breast + Roasted 1/2 breast ++ Leg (thigh and drumstick), broiled or roasted 1 leg + Cornish hen, roasted, without skin 1/2 hen ++ Ham, fresh, roasted, lean only 3 ounces + Liver, braised: Beef 3 ounces ++ Calf or Pork 3 ounces + Chicken 1/2 cup + Pork, lean only: Chop, baked or broiled 1 chop + Roast, loin, roasted 3 ounces + Turkey, light or dark meat, roasted, without skin 3 ounces + Veal, chop, braised, lean only 1 chop +

Fish and Seafood Cod, croaker, haddock, mackerel ocean perch, porgy, or sea bass; baked or broiled 3 ounces + Mackerel, canned, drained 3 ounces + Mullet or trout, baked or broiled 3 ounces + Salmon, canned, drained 3 ounces + Swordfish steak, baked or broiled 3 ounces +

(1) A selected serving size contains - + 10-24 percent of the U.S. RDA for adults and children over 4 years of age. ++ 25-39 percent of the U.S. RDA for adults and children over 4 years of age. +++ 40 percent or more of the U.S. RDA for adults and children over 4 years of age.

(2) See section on fortified foods.

January 1990

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