Different types of vitaim B and why it matters

As I have previously posted there are 4 different precursors to vitamin B6. They are known as PL, PM and PN (there is also PNP which will not be talking about today, and it turns out there are in total 7 different types of vitamin B6/precursors to vitamin B6).

All the precursors and different types of vitamin B are all taken up by the body. They are then transformed in the liver to PLP which is the bodies active form of vitamin B6. The PLP is "used up" by the body by turning it into pyridoxal and then into PA. This is interesting because the liver produces pyridoxal and PA when vitamin B is ingested. Therefore there must be a use for pyridoxal and PA in the body.

Most people think that the type of vitamin B6 precursor is irrelevant as the body transforms it all into PLP. However we shouldn't as that would be that naive ! It turns out that the PL (Pyridoxal) form reduces inflammation in the body more than the other precursors and vitamin B6 (PLP) itself. For you techy's it reduces the production of cox-2 which is a inflammation creating hormone.

Clearly something is occurring..... it would appear that PL binds into the cell wall/surface and this process reduces the amount of inflammation cos-2 enzymes produced. Very fascinating how complex the body really is and that the liver doesn't make things it doesn't use. The next logical question is where do you find this pryodoxal (PL)? A paper has this to say:

• Pyridoxal and PLP are the major vitamin B-6 forms obtained from animal food products
• Pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, PNP, and PMP are the main forms obtained from plants
• Pyridoxine is also the form given as vitamin B-6 supplement. 

So animal products (eggs, meat, liver etc) have pyridoxal as their form of vitamin B6. Yet another reason why free range, outdoor housed, non factory farmed animal products are good for you.    


References: Hiroaki Kanouchi, Mayumi Shibuya, Shuntaro Tsukamotoc, Yoshinori Fujimura, Hirofumi Tachibana, Koji Yamada and Tatsuzo Oka Comparisons of uptake and cell surface binding among pyridoxal, pyridoxine, and pyridoxamine in RAW264.7 cells. Nutrition. Volume 26, Issue 6, June 2010, Pages 648-652       
Øivind Midttun, Steinar Hustad, Jørn Schneede, Stein E Vollset and Per M Ueland. Plasma vitamin B-6 forms and their relation to transsulfuration metabolites in a large, population-based study
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 1, 131-138, July 2007