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Are there different types of vitamin B6?

Published in Vitamins & Minerals 1 min read

Yes, there are different forms of vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6 is not a single compound but rather a group of six chemically similar compounds, known as vitamers, that all exhibit vitamin B6 activity. These vitamers include:

  • Pyridoxal (PL)
  • Pyridoxine (PN) (also known as pyridoxol)
  • Pyridoxamine (PM)
  • Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)
  • Pyridoxine 5'-phosphate (PNP)
  • Pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate (PMP)

The active coenzyme form of vitamin B6 is pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). This is the form primarily involved in numerous enzymatic reactions in the body, estimated to be over 4% of all enzymatic reactions.

Therefore, while people often refer to "vitamin B6," it is crucial to understand that it's actually a collection of related compounds, with PLP being the most biochemically significant.