The benefits of B vitamins

Did You Know?
Thiamin is destroyed with high-heat cooking or long cooking times. It also leaches into water and will be lost in any cooking or soaking water that is thrown out.
Certain foods and beverages like tea, shellfish, clams, and raw fish contain thiaminases, or enzymes that deactivate thiamine.

2. Breaking down medications.

Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, is a key component of coenzymes involved with the growth of cells, energy production, and the breakdown of fats, steroids, and medications. Bacteria in the gut can produce small amounts of riboflavin, but not enough to meet body needs. Most riboflavin is used immediately and not stored in the body, so excess amounts are excreted in the urine.

Symptoms of deficiency include:

• Cracked lips
  
• Sore throat
  
• Swelling of the mouth and throat
  
• Swollen tongue (glossitis)
  
• Hair loss
  
• Skin rash
  
• Anemia
  
• Itchy red eyes
  
• Cataracts in severe cases
  
• Disorders of the thyroid increase the risk of a deficiency.

3. Reducing inflammation.

Vitamin B3, or niacin, works works in the body as a coenzyme, with more than 400 enzymes to convert nutrients into energy, create cholesterol and fats, create and repair DNA, and exert antioxidant effects. Niacin is also an antioxidant, which helps reduce excess inflammation. Niacin is water-soluble so that excess amounts the body does not need are excreted in the urine.

Simptoms of niacin deficiency include:

• Depression
  
• Headache
  
• Fatigue
  
• Memory loss
  
• Hallucinations

A severe niacin deficiency leads to pellagra, a condition that causes a dark, sometimes scaly rash to develop on skin areas exposed to sunlight; bright redness of the tongue; and constipation/diarrhea.

4. Supporting your overall brain health.

Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is essential for making coenzyme A (CoA), a chemical compound that helps our body’s enzymes build and break down fatty acids for energy.
It also helps our cells generate acyl carrier proteins, helping to produce necessary fats. The brain is primarily fat, so pantothenic acid is among the most important vitamins in supporting brain health.

Symptoms of deficiency include:

• Headache
  
• Fatigue
  
• Irritability, restlessness
  
• Disturbed sleep
  
• Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps
  
• Numbness or burning sensation in hands or feet
  
• Muscle cramps

5. Fight diseases.

Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is a water-soluble vitamin. Its the active form is coenzyme pyridoxal 5’ phosphate (PLP), that assists more than 100 enzymes to breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; maintaining normal levels of homocysteine (since high levels can cause heart problems); and supporting immune function and brain health.
Vitamin B6 is notable for its role in disease prevention because proper levels of this vitamin is associated with lower risk of a number of cancers.
A vitamin B6 deficiency most often occurs when other B vitamins in the body are low, particularly vitamin B12 and folic acid.

Symptoms of deficiency include:

• Microcytic anemia
  
• Skin conditions
  
• Depression
  
• Confusion
  
• Lowered immunity

6. Helping cells communicate better.

Vitamin B7, most commonly known as biotin, regulates cell signals for quick and efficient communication throughout the body and the activity of genes. In the brain, it’s crucial for cellular signaling via neurotransmitters. Biotin plays a vital role in assisting enzymes to break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in food.

Symptoms appearing with a biotin deficiency:

• Thinning hair
  
• Scaly skin rashes around eyes, nose, mouth
  
• Brittle nails

7. Keeping you balanced.

Vitamin B9, is water-soluble, a popular supplement and a key vitamin for supporting brain and neurological health, optimal neurotransmitter function, and balanced psychological health.
Another benefit is that it helps encourage cellular detoxification.
Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9. It is also sold as a supplement in the form of folic acid; this form is actually better absorbed than that from food sources—85% vs. 50%, respectively. Folate helps to form DNA and RNA and is involved in protein metabolism. It plays a key role in breaking down homocysteine, an amino acid that can exert harmful effects in the body if it is present in high amounts. Folate is also needed to produce healthy red blood cells and is critical during periods of rapid growth, such as during pregnancy and fetal development.

Symptoms of deficiency include:

• megaloblastic anemia (a condition arising from a lack of folate in the diet or poor absorption that produces less red blood cells, and larger in size than normal),
  
• weakness,
  
• fatigue,
  
• irregular heartbeat,
  
• shortness of breath,
  
• difficulty concentrating,
  
• hair loss,
  
• pale skin,
  
• mouth sores.

People at increased risk:

• Alcoholism. Alcohol interferes with the absorption of folate and speeds the rate that folate breaks down and is excreted from the body. People with alcoholism also tend to eat poor-quality diets low in folate-containing foods.
  
• Pregnancy. The need for folate increases during pregnancy as it plays a role in the development of cells in the fetus.
  
• Intestinal surgeries or digestive disorders that cause malabsorption. Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease can decrease the absorption of folate. Surgeries involving the digestive organs or that reduce the normal level of stomach acid may also interfere with absorption.
  
• Genetic variants. People carrying a variant of the gene MTHFR cannot convert folate to its active form to be used by the body.

8. Helping your heart.

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is an essential vitamin for forming red blood cells and DNA, and supporting the development of brain and function of the nervous system.
B12 also supports the breakdown of homocysteine, a protein that can negatively impact cardiovascular health and lead to dementia when in excess.
Measuring vitamin B12 in the blood is actually not the best way to determine whether someone is deficient, as some people with a deficiency can show normal B12 blood levels. Blood levels of methylmalonic acid, a protein breakdown product, and homocysteine are better markers that capture actual vitamin B12 activity. These values increase with a vitamin B12 deficiency. It is estimated that up to 15% of the general population has a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Symptoms of deficiency include:

• Megaloblastic anemia—a condition of larger than normal sized red blood cells and a smaller than normal amount; this occurs because there is not enough vitamin B12 in the diet or poor absorption
  
• Pernicious anemia—a type of megaloblastic anemia caused by a lack of intrinsic factor so that vitamin B12 is not absorbed
  
• Fatigue, weakness
  
• Nerve damage with numbness, tingling in the hands and legs
  
• Memory loss, confusion
  
• Dementia
  
• Depression
  
• Seizures

Did You Know?
A B vitamin complex supplements is often touted to boost energy levels and mood. People who have a B vitamin deficiency may feel a rise in energy levels after using the supplements because the vitamin is directly involved in making healthy blood cells and can correct anemia if present.
People who eat a vegan diet are often told to include Brewer’s or nutritional yeast for its B12 content. However, yeast does not naturally contain this vitamin and will only be present if fortified with it. Be aware that certain brands, but not all, contain B12.
Nori (purple laver), the dried edible seaweed used to make sushi rolls, is sometimes promoted as a plant source of vitamin B12. It does contain small amounts of active vitamin B12, but the amount varies among types of seaweed, with some containing none. Therefore is not considered a reliable food source.



See One More B12 plus, which combines 7 different vitamins (Vitamin B12 and other three B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Vitamin E) and are the basis of what our body needs to be healthy.