Nutrient Profiles: Vitamin B6 and Iodine

Foods Containing Iodine

Roles and Actions in the Body

Vitamin B6: Quick Facts

• In coastal areas:
• Seafood
• Water
• In landlocked areas:
• Iodine availability depends on soil content
• Result: regulations for iodizing salt

Roles and Actions in the Body

• Iodine is an integral part of thyroid hormones which regulate:
• Body temp
• Metabolic rate
• Growth
• Production of blood cells
• Nerve and muscle function

• Water soluble
• Body is unable to store it (must be replaced daily through diet)
• Food Sources:
• Meat
• Fish
• Poultry
• Potatoes

Consequences of Toxicity

• Protein and amino acid metabolism
• Converts excess essential amino acids to needed non-essential amino acids
• Red blood cell formation
• Involved in body's production of chemicals (i.e. Insulin, Hemoglobin)
• Helps with regulation of blood glucose

• Recommended amount: 100mg
• Harmful amount: >2g
• Primary symptom: numb feet
• Secondary symptom: loss of feeling in hands
• Tertiary symptom: loss of ability to walk
• Common risk for overdose: women attempting to treat premenstrual symptoms
• Recovery is easy and prompt upon cessation of intake

Vitamin B6: Practice Question

The following are symptoms of Vitamin B6 deficiency: (select all that apply)

• Loss of ability to walk
• Loss of sensation in hands
• Decreased appetite
• Decrease in taste sensation
• Muscle soreness
• Numb feet

Consequences of Deficiency

Vitamin B6: Fun Facts

• Weakness
• Depression
• Confusion
• Irritability
• Dermatitis
• Anemia
• Convulsions (extreme scenarios)
• Weakened immune system
• Increased risk of cancer
• Possible increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Iodine: Quick Facts

Symptoms of Deficiency

• Foods lose B6 content when heated
• Research is being conducted about using Vitamin B6 to treat various diseases

• Simple Goiter (enlargement/malfunction of Thyroid gland)
• Most common cause of preventable mental disabilities and brain damage worldwide
• Cretinism: disease characterized by mental and physical impairments which occur during pregnancy and is irreversible
• Signs of children with cretinism: low IQ, extensive facial and body abnormalities

• Trace mineral
• Extracellular ion

Symptoms of Toxicity

• Inflammation of thyroid gland
• Not a major concern in young women (intake levels usually inadequate)

Iodine: Practice Question

-Nutrient Profiles-

Vitamin B6 and Iodine

Iodine: Fun Facts

References

Which of the following is a function of Iodine in the body?

• Debruyne, L.K. & Pinna, K. (2014). Nutrition for health and healthcare (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
• Bellows, L., & Moore, R. (2014, August 5). Water-Soluble Vitamins: B-Complex and Vitamin C. Retrieved September 29, 2014.

• In the United States, iodizing salt is not mandatory
• Companies required to include on label
• In Canada, all table salt producers required to iodize salt

• Regulating body temp in conjunction with thyroid hormones
• Aiding in hormone production
• Reducing inflammation in the thryoid
• Aiding in absorption of other vitamins, including A, D, and K

Amy Mohr & Tessa Littlefield