Home › Biomarkers › Vitamin B6
For women aged 18 and over and men aged 18 to 50, the recommended daily amount of vitamin B6 is 1.5 milligrams. For men aged 51 and over, it is 1.8 milligrams.[1]
On this page, you can read what vitamin B6 is, what the guidelines say about a value that is too low or too high, what affects your value and which values are best to look at alongside it.
Also known as: pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxal phosphate. At the lab: VB6.
Vitamin B6 is also called pyridoxine. It is a water-soluble vitamin. It comes in several forms, such as pyridoxal and pyridoxamine, sometimes bound to a phosphate. All these forms work the same way in your body.[1]
The cells in your gut absorb all forms and convert them into pyridoxal. This travels through the blood to the liver, where it becomes pyridoxal phosphate. In that form, vitamin B6 does its work.[1]
Vitamin B6 matters for your metabolism, especially for the breakdown and build-up of amino acids. It also regulates how certain hormones work.[1]
You need it for growth and for making blood. It helps your immune system and your nerves work properly.[1]
Too much can also be harmful. This does not happen through a normal diet, but it can if you take too many or too strong supplements for a long time.[1]
The lab BioProfile works with (Labplusarts) uses a reference value of 35 to 110 nmol/l for vitamin B6. The lab calls a value between these limits normal.[2]
| Amount per day | What it can mean | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 milligrams[1] | Recommended daily amount | Women aged 18 and over |
| 1.5 milligrams[1] | Recommended daily amount | Men aged 18 to 50 |
| 1.8 milligrams[1] | Recommended daily amount | Men aged 51 and over |
| 1.8 milligrams[1] | Recommended daily amount | Pregnant women |
| No more than 1.5 milligrams[1] | Limit if you do take a supplement | Adults |
Voedingscentrum: recommended intake of vitamin B6 from food and supplements. These are not limits for your blood.[1]
A low value can point to too little vitamin B6. A deficiency is rare in the Netherlands. A long-term deficiency can lead to anaemia, conditions affecting the nerves and lower resistance.[1]
A high value can point to a lot of vitamin B6 from supplements. Too much over a long time can damage your nerves, with numbness, tingling or severe nerve pain in your hands and feet. Do you have symptoms while taking a supplement? The Voedingscentrum advises you to contact your GP.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
You usually get enough vitamin B6 from your diet, for example from meat, fish, eggs, nuts and bread. Getting too much from a normal diet is not possible.[1]
On average, your body absorbs about 75% of the vitamin B6 from food and drink. From a supplement, that is an estimated 95%. Some supplements contain more than the tolerable upper limit, so always check the label.[1]
How much you need depends on your age and stage of life. For men aged 51 and over, the recommended amount is 1.8 milligrams per day. If you are pregnant, it is also 1.8 milligrams per day.[1]
Vitamin B6 is included in BioProfile 121 and 150.[3]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 10 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 10 October 2026. Every number on this page appears in one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert has yet to check this page; after that check, the expert's name and the date of the check will appear at the top. This page offers explanation, not a diagnosis. Discuss a value outside the range with your GP.
