Vitamins and supplements have become a crucial part of our lives these days. While some people take these to boost their health and immunity, some suffer from a deficiency of these supplements.
Apart from this, many medicines and other food supplements are also made up after infusing these vitamins into them.
This causes them a need to take these supplements artificially or have a diet that is inclusive of these nutrients. There are many vitamins that are crucial for the human body, and two of such are Vitamin B6 and Vitamins B12.
While these two are extremely important vitamins, they are widely different from each other in many aspects, upon which this article shall be shedding light.
Key Takeaways
- B6 (pyridoxine) helps with metabolism and brain function, while B12 (cobalamin) helps form red blood cells and nerve function.
- B6 is found in many foods, while B12 is mainly in animal products.
- Deficiency in B6 can lead to anemia and neurological issues, while deficiency in B12 can lead to pernicious anemia and nerve damage.
B6 vs B12
The difference between Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 is that even after having belonged to the family B complex vitamins, these two carry a lot of differences in terms of their intake amount, deficiencies, and their effects, and their significance in the human body. While these both are really crucial for us to take, it is important to know how and when these vitamins should be taken.
Vitamin B6 is also known by another name, is Pyridoxine. This Vitamin has a distinct quality in that it happens to be in such a dilutable form that it gets absorbed in the intestine very easily.
This is the reason that sometimes it gets consumed more than it is needed. This vitamin happens to be really crucial for the human brain as it is the one responsible for good mental health and controlling mood.
Its deficiency can cause complexes in this process.
While on the other hand, Vitamin B12 is also termed Cobalamin and is a natural less dilutable substance. The deficiency of this vitamin is very common and is easily found among a number of people.
If this vitamin is not present in the required amount, it can cause serious damage to the nervous system and brain.
Generally, its deficiency occurs when a person does not intake the required amount or when a person uses certain medications that are not compatible with this vitamin.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Vitamin B6 | Vitamin B12 |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | This vitamin belongs to the B group of Vitamins and is dilutable in nature. It is an essential phenomenon in chlorophyll synthesis. | This vitamin also belongs to the B group of vitamins and happens to be the chemical coordination of many ions of Cobalt. |
| Also known as | Pyridoxine | Cobalamin |
| Responsible for | It contributes to regulating the hormonal issues in the body. | It regulates the nervous system of the body. |
| Effect of deficiency | The deficiency of this vitamin becomes the reason for the development of sores in someone’s mouth. Also, it causes mental health issues and depression conditions. | It can cause issues with one’s nervous system and the functioning of the brain. |
| Amount of Intake | 1.3 micrograms of this vitamin are ideally required by the body to prevent its deficiency. | 2.4 micrograms of this vitamin are ideally required by the body. |
| Storage | If the body absorbs excess of this vitamin, the body gets rid of this excess amount. | If this vitamin gets absorbed by the body in excess, the body stores it. |
What is B6?
Known by another name, Pyridoxine, Vitamin B6 is a crucial vitamin that belongs to the family B complex family. It has the most dilutable nature and gets dissolved in the water very easily.
It is not only essential in the body but the process of chlorophyll synthesis in plants.
The uses of this vitamin in the human body are as follows-
- It is responsible for the conversion of food into energy in one’s body.
- It keeps the body or brain of a human being exactly in the same way it should be.
- It assists in the healthy functioning of the nervous system.
- It is a crucial element that helps in the production of Hemoglobin in blood.
- It also contributed to the construction of such elements that take care of the sleep cycle.
Certain important sources of this vitamin are- fish, beef lives, pork, chicken, potatoes, bananas, etc.
What is B12?
This red-pigmented vitamin also belongs to the B complex family of vitamins along with 7 other vitamins. It exists because of a connected chemical reaction between certain ions of Cobalt.
This is the reason for it to have another name- Cobalamin. It makes this vitamin the only one of its kind to have metal in its structure.
As this vitamin happens to be the one responsible for the good nervous and mental system, a low level of this can cause many issues, such as-
- Depression in many people
- Symptoms of fatigue or
- Psychotic illness
The reason for this deficiency is very common is the intake of this vitamin in an amount less than the required amount. However, it can also be caused by certain medicines and dietary reasons.
The most common sources of this vitamin are certain animal products. Therefore its deficiency can certainly be avoided by having the right diet inclusive of non-vegetarian products.
Main Differences Between B6 and B12
- The B6 vitamin belongs to the B group of Vitamins and is dilutable in nature. It is an essential phenomenon in chlorophyll synthesis. While on the other hand, the B12 vitamin also belongs to the B group of vitamins and happens to be the chemical coordination of many ions of Cobalt.
- Another name for B6 is Pyridoxine, while another name for B12 is Cobalamin.
- B6 contributes to regulating hormonal issues in the body. On the other hand, B12 regulates the nervous system of the body.
- The deficiency of vitamin B6 becomes the reason for the development of sores in someone’s mouth. Also, it causes mental health issues and depression conditions. But the deficiency of B12 can cause issues with one’s nervous system and the functioning of the brain.
- 1.3 micrograms of this vitamin B6 are ideally required by the body to prevent its deficiency. But B12 is required for about 2.4 micrograms.
- https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004393/abstract
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmcp1113996
Last Updated : 24 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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