Vitamin B6 in Fat Metabolism

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the conflicting data on the relationship of the vitamin B 6 group, especially pyridoxine, to only a few of the many aspects of fat metabolism. The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue of pyridoxine-deficient rats is different from normals and that injections of insulin tended to reverse these changes. Pyridoxine-deficient rat serum and pancreatic tissue had lowered levels of insulin as measured by the epididymal fat pad method for insulin-like activity. Such evidence suggests that the lipid changes in pyridoxine-deficient rats might be related to the more complex relations of insulin insufficiency to fat metabolism. Indirect pathway is suggested by which fat metabolism can affect the utilization of vitamin B 6 and vice versa. The chapter mentions the known relationships between phospholipids and cholesterol esters on the one hand and fatty acid transport on the other.