Vitamin B6 is found in a wide range of foods, including poultry, fish, pork, potatoes, sunflower seeds, and bananas. Most adults need 1.3 mg per day, and a single serving of turkey or a baked potato can get you more than halfway there. Both animal and plant foods supply meaningful amounts, though the form found in animal products is absorbed more efficiently.
Best Animal Sources of Vitamin B6
Poultry, fish, and pork are the richest animal sources. A 4-ounce serving of raw turkey drumstick meat provides about 0.92 mg, which covers roughly 70% of the daily recommendation for most adults. Pork tenderloin comes in close at 0.85 mg per 4-ounce serving. Skipjack tuna delivers 0.83 mg in just 3 ounces, and a 3-ounce portion of grilled top round beef provides 0.75 mg.
Other solid options include ground turkey (0.77 mg per 3-ounce patty), roasted turkey breast (0.69 mg per 3 ounces), venison (0.72 mg per steak), and bluefish (0.60 mg per fillet). In practical terms, a single serving of any of these meats paired with a starchy vegetable will likely meet your full daily need.
Best Plant Sources of Vitamin B6
Potatoes are one of the best plant sources you’ll actually eat in a normal serving size. One baked russet potato with the skin delivers 1.06 mg, which alone covers about 80% of the daily target. Plantains provide 0.65 mg per fruit.
Legumes, seeds, and nuts also contribute well, though the serving sizes in nutrition databases can be generous. A cup of raw pink beans contains 1.11 mg, and a cup of sunflower seed kernels provides 1.08 mg. A cup of dry-roasted peanuts has 0.68 mg. Brown rice flour (1.16 mg per cup) and whole corn grain (1.03 mg per cup) are notable among grains.
One important caveat with plant foods: many contain a form of B6 called pyridoxine glucoside, which your body absorbs at roughly half the rate of the B6 found in animal foods and supplements. This means the effective amount you get from plant sources may be lower than what the nutrition label suggests.
Fortified Foods and Cereals
Many breakfast cereals, nutrition bars, and plant-based milks are fortified with vitamin B6. The amount varies by brand, but fortified cereals commonly add enough to provide 25% to 100% of the daily value per serving. If you eat fortified cereal with milk in the morning and a serving of meat or fish later in the day, you’re almost certainly meeting your needs without thinking about it.
How Cooking Affects Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is sensitive to both heat and water. How much you lose depends heavily on your cooking method. Grilling beef costs you only about 5% to 30% of the B6 content, while braising or stewing can destroy 45% to 75%. Boiling vegetables causes losses around 30%, partly because the vitamin leaches into the cooking water. Canning is the worst offender, with losses reaching 87% in some cases.
The vitamin holds up well at moderate temperatures. In chickpeas, for example, heating to 65°C (about 150°F) caused only 10% to 14% degradation over four hours. But at 85°C (185°F), more than half the B6 was lost. The takeaway: shorter cooking times, dry-heat methods like roasting or grilling, and eating the cooking liquid (as in soups) all help you retain more B6.
How Much You Need Each Day
Most adults between 19 and 50 need 1.3 mg of vitamin B6 daily. After age 50, the recommendation increases slightly to 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women. During pregnancy, the target rises to 1.9 mg, and during breastfeeding it’s 2.0 mg. Children need less, ranging from 0.5 mg at ages 1 to 3 up to 1.0 mg at ages 9 to 13.
What Vitamin B6 Does in Your Body
Vitamin B6 is involved in more than 100 enzyme reactions, most of them related to processing protein and amino acids. Its active form works as a helper molecule that enzymes need to break down and rebuild amino acids, the building blocks of protein. This makes it essential for producing brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, building hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen), and supporting immune function.
Signs You’re Not Getting Enough
Mild deficiency can cause cracked and sore lips, a swollen tongue, and mouth sores. You might also notice irritability, confusion, or low mood. More severe deficiency leads to a type of anemia where red blood cells are smaller than normal, a scaly rash (especially on the face), and in extreme cases, seizures. Deficiency on its own is uncommon in people who eat a varied diet, but it often shows up alongside deficiencies in other B vitamins.
Supplements: Pyridoxine vs. P5P
Vitamin B6 supplements come in two main forms. Pyridoxine hydrochloride is the most common and least expensive. Your body converts it into its active form before using it. The other option, pyridoxal 5-phosphate (often labeled P5P), is the already-active form. Both are effective, and supplement labels express the dose as the equivalent amount of pyridoxine regardless of which form is inside.
Getting too much B6 from supplements (not food) over a long period can cause nerve damage in the hands and feet, with numbness, tingling, and difficulty with coordination. The upper limit for adults is set at 100 mg per day, far above what any food provides but easy to reach with high-dose supplements. Symptoms typically reverse once you stop taking excessive amounts.