Pyridoxal is a form of vitamin B6 that acts as a coenzyme in the body, helping to synthesize amino acids and other essential molecules. Deficiencies can cause adverse health effects, particularly in vulnerable populations, and vitamin B6 is often lost during food processing and storage.
Pyridoxal is a compound derived from pyridoxine more commonly known as vitamin B6. Two other forms of vitamin B6 are closely related compounds known as pyridoxamine and pyridoxine. The human body metabolizes it and the other two forms of vitamin B6 into a compound that can be used by the body through processing in the liver. This common form of the three bases for vitamin B6 is known as pyridoxal 5-phosphate (P5P), or simply pyridoxal phosphate.
Vitamin B6 acts as a coenzyme in the body, meaning it serves as a transfer site for a chemical reaction caused by another enzyme, called transaminase. This allows the human body to synthesize complex molecules that are essential to human health, known as amino acids. Cysteine is one of the important amino acids Pyridoxal plays a key role in the synthesis of methionine, another amino acid. Pyridoxal also breaks down the essential amino acid tryptophan into vitamin B3, commonly known as niacin, and is useful in over 100 other types of coenzyme reactions in the body.
While vitamin B6 is commonly available as a nutritional supplement, the need is quite small, at 2 milligrams per day for the average adult. However, deficiencies can have adverse health effects, such as causing facial skin lesions or promoting conditions of hypertension and myochardial ischemia. Lack of sufficient amounts of pyridoxal in the diet over a prolonged period may be a contributing factor to convulsive seizures and other adverse effects. Vulnerable segments of the population that appear to lack adequate amounts of pyridoxal include women, adolescents, and the elderly. It is a common component of many meats and vegetables in the diet, but vitamin B6 levels are also often reduced during food preparation.
Since vitamin B6 shares the same limitation of the 20 essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own from chemical precursors, the diet must continuously supply it. Two versions of vitamin B6, including pyridoxal and pyridoxamine, are found in meats such as liver, beef, and fish, which may be a limited part of commonly consumed foods for women or people on restrictive diets who they try to lose weight. This explains why these groups tend to have lower levels of vitamin B6. Pyridoxine is primarily derived from plants and seeds and is also the source for creating vitamin B6 supplements. Regardless of which of the three compounds is consumed as a regular source of the vitamin, it is estimated that around 60% of this vitamin content is lost during food processing and storage, such as freezing, canning, or cooking.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
