3 Key Health Benefits of Vitamin B6 as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P5P)

Many people who are health conscious have likely heard of the benefits you can get from vitamin B6. Including vitamin B6 in your diet is relatively easy as you can find it in foods such as bread, pork, fish, eggs, and wholegrain cereals. These foods, however, may have depleted amounts of vitamin B6, in part because food preparation can lower that amount. Food that is frozen, canned, cooked, or processed usually leads to a lower level of vitamin B6 that you would get otherwise, so other dietary strategies should be pursued. For that reason, many people are choosing to include pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P) as part of their diet.

What is Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate?

Vitamin B6 can be found in three different forms. In order to get nutritional value out of these forms, they must first be converted into P5P in the liver. So P5P is the active night form of Vitamin B6. P5P is a coenzyme, meaning that it works with enzymes to help them accomplish their tasks more quickly and efficiently and thus is a crucial element of biosynthesis. P5P plays an important role in various functions in the body such as metabolism at the cellular level, muscle growth and repair, mood regulation, sleep regulation, and other executive functions. When P5P is taken in its purest form, it doesn’t have to go through the conversion process in the liver, meaning it’s possible people can then get more benefit out of the nutrient, especially when used with magnesium.

The Benefits of P5P

As such an important part of healthy functions in the brain and body, P5P supplement offers a variety of possible benefits. Here are some of the most noteworthy.

More Physical Energy

As mentioned before, P5P is a critical component of energy metabolism within the cell. As a result of this function, P5P may be able to help you improve your overall physical energy. People found to be suffering from chronic fatigue often have a deficiency of vitamin B6 -- and by extension P5P -- in their diet. Should you feel lethargic in many of your daily activities, you may want to look at whether you’re getting enough P5P. A quick change in diet or use of dietary supplements that include P5P may change things and could help you feel more energetic throughout the day.

More Mental Energy

P5P benefits of this type may also extend to an increase in mental energy. This is partly due to P5P’s ability to improve communication between neurons within the brain. If you’ve ever experienced periods of frequent distraction and general lack of motivation, a low level of P5P may be a factor. With the inclusion of P5P, it’s possible to experience nootropic effects on executive functions. This may result in more focus, better mood, and improved motivation to carry out your daily tasks.

Memory Formation and Protection

In addition to increased mental energy, P5P may also benefit in the formation of memories. The benefit derives from the neurotransmitter properties seen in P5P, but pyridoxal-5-phosphate also has neuroprotection capabilities. It likely plays a role in improving overall brain health. A lack of P5P (and vitamin B6 in general) is usually connected to raised homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid which can adversely affect brain health in patients.

These benefits show that pyridoxal-5-phosphate is a nutrient people should be sure to include in their diet. Dietary supplements like Qualia often include P5P as a way to help the body and brain function smoothly, and when P5P is ingested, people get more benefits from it than they would when consuming vitamin B6 on its own. The advantages that could come from P5P means it is certainly a nutrient that should not be overlooked. Even if you’re looking to just be more focused or get some more motivation, P5P may prove effective in reaching that goal.