What Does B Vitamin Do

Increase Energy And Improve Mood

Because B100 complex vitamins help convert the food you eat into usable energy, they may also be effective in increasing energy levels. A study published in “Psychopharmacology” in 2010 found that there was significant improvement in the mental health of male participants after 33 days of supplementation with a B-complex vitamin, along with vitamin C and a mineral supplement. Subjects reported increased vigor and overall improvements in mood, as well as reductions in stress levels.

How Much Should I Take

B vitamins are water-soluble which means they are not stored in the body – any excess vitamin B which is not needed will be safely excreted from the body. The only B vitamin that is stored in the liver is vitamin B12, however studies have found no adverse effects when taken in high doses. A Vitamin B Complex supplement is formulated to offer the optimal level of B vitamins to maintain good health and can be taken alongside a healthy diet without fear of taking too much.

Reap The Health Benefits Of B Vitamins

Good nutrition is tied to good health, as well as to the prevention and treatment of many conditions. Getting the recommended amounts of vitamins each day is an important part of the nutrition equation, and B vitamins are essential for preventive care. Abundant in green vegetables, whole or enriched grains, dairy, and meats, B vitamins help promote a healthy metabolism and are also linked to a reduced risk of stroke, research shows.

Take vitamin B12, for example. According to the Mayo Clinic, vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin, plays a significant role in nerve function, the formation of red blood cells, and the production of DNA. While most people get plenty of vitamin B12 benefits in a varied, balanced diet, if you are on a vegan or vegetarian diet, you are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency. Also, elderly adults and people with GI disorders lack adequate B12.

• Depression
• Weakened immune system

Its been known that some people with B vitamin deficiencies experience depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Folate is in the forefront of mood management. Findings show that many people with depression have lower levels of folate in the blood. Folate is found in green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, peanuts, and other legumes, and citrus fruits. The Food and Drug Administration began requiring manufacturers to add folic acid to enriched breads, cereals, flours, cornmeal, pasta, rice, and other grain products in 1998.

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What Do The B Vitamins Do In The Body

thiamin â helps turn carbohydrates and sugar into energy, plays a key role in nerve, muscle and heart function, and is essential for a healthy brain

riboflavin â important for energy release, helps the body to absorb nutrients, including iron, and is crucial for healthy eyes, skin and nervous system8

niacin â helps release energy from food, keeps the nervous and digestive systems healthy, and is essential for normal growth and healthy skin9

pantothenic acid â helps the body turn protein and fat into energy, and is needed for healthy growth10

pyridoxine â helps break down protein from food, reduces tiredness and fatigue, and is essential for healthy red blood cells and nervous system11

biotin â helps the body break down nutrients from food and process glucose, maintain mucous membranes, and keeps skin and nails healthy12

folate/folic acid â essential during pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects in babies, helps maintain healthy red blood cells, and contributes to reduction of fatigue13

vitamin B12 â vital for the nervous and immune systems, helps fight tiredness and fatigue, and needed for healthy DNA14

What Are Symptoms Of Vitamin B Deficiency

Vitamin B deficiency is rare because B vitamins are found in a wide variety of foods. Not getting enough vitamin B can lead to certain conditions such as anemia, muscle weakness, heart problems, and hair loss. If you are concerned that you may not be consuming enough vitamin B, speak with your healthcare provider about supplementation.

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May Promote Eye Health And Prevent Eye Diseases

Vitamin B6 may play a role in preventing eye diseases, especially a type of vision loss that affects older adults called age-related macular degeneration .

Studies have linked high blood levels of circulating homocysteine with an increased risk of AMD .

Since vitamin B6 helps reduce elevated blood levels of homocysteine, getting enough B6 may lower your risk of this disease .

A seven-year study in over 5,400 female health professionals found that taking a daily supplement of vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid significantly reduced AMD risk by 3540%, compared to a placebo .

While these results suggest that B6 may play a role in preventing AMD, its difficult to tell if B6 alone would offer the same benefits.

Research has also linked low blood levels of vitamin B6 to eye conditions that block veins that connect to the retina. A controlled study in over 500 people found that the lowest blood levels of B6 were significantly associated with retinal disorders .

Summary Vitamin B6 supplements may reduce your risk of age-related macular degeneration . Additionally, adequate blood levels of B6 may prevent issues that affect the retina. However, more research is needed.

Provides Antioxidant Properties And Defends Against Cancer

Recent studies have found that vitamin B2 intake is inversely associated with with some of the most common types of cancer, including colon cancer and breast cancer. Vitamin B2 benefits the immune system because it acts as an antioxidant that controls the presence of damaging free radicals within the body. Vitamin B2 riboflavin is required for the production of an antioxidant called glutathione, which acts as a free radical killer and also detoxes the liver.

Free radicals are what age the body. When they go uncontrolled, it can result in the development of various disease. Vitamin B2 plays a part in defending against disease by maintaining a healthy lining within the digestive tract, where much of the immune system is stored. A healthy digestive system allows the body to absorb and use the most nutrients from your diet that it can. Thus, a riboflavin deficiency can mean less nutrients properly being used for bodily energy.

Riboflavin, along with other B vitamins, is correlated in preliminary studies with helping to prevent certain types of cancer including colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Although more research is still needed to know the exact role of riboflavin in cancer prevention, at this time researchers believe that vitamin B2 works to minimize the effects of cancer-producing carcinogens and oxidative stress caused by free radicals.

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Question: Why Are B Vitamins Important For Health

Sutherby: The B vitamins each have different functions in your body and for your health. They help with nervous system function by coating the nerve cells so that they can function properly. They help you use energy from food. Some of them help you absorb other vitamins. They help you with digestion and muscle tone. They make red blood cells that transport oxygen throughout your bloodstream to your organs.

What Is Vitamin B2

What does vitamin B2 do? Roles of vitamin B2 include maintaining healthy blood cells, boosting energy levels, facilitating in a healthy metabolism, preventing free radical damage, contributing to growth, protecting skin and eye health, and much more.

Vitamin B2 is used in combination with other B vitamins, which make up the B vitamin complex. In fact, B2 must be present in high enough amounts in the body to allow other B vitamins, including B6 and folic acid, to properly do their jobs.

All B vitamins are responsible for important functions, including contributing to nerve, heart, blood, skin and eye health reducing inflammation and supporting hormonal function. One of the most well-known roles of B vitamins is maintaining a healthy metabolism and digestive system.

Vitamin B2/riboflavin has been shown to act like an antioxidant nutrient. It helps prevent lipid peroxidation and oxidative injury, both of which contribute to chronic health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and neurological diseases. Vitamin B2 also plays an important role in enzymatic reactions. There are two coenzyme forms of riboflavin: flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide.

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May Help Prevent Cancer

Getting enough vitamin B6 may lower your risk of developing certain types of cancer.

The reason why B6 may help prevent cancer is unclear, but researchers suspect that its related to its ability to fight inflammation that may contribute to cancer and other chronic conditions (

39 ).

More research that includes randomized trials and not merely observational studies is needed to assess the exact role of vitamin B6 in cancer prevention.

Summary Some observational studies suggest a link between adequate dietary intake and blood levels of vitamin B6 and a decreased risk of certain types of cancer, but more research is needed.

Vitamin B6 May Help Reduce Heart Disease Risk

The recommended daily amount of vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is 1.3 mg for adults up to the age of 50, according to the National Institutes of Health. Pregnant or breast-feeding teens and women need even more vitamin B6 daily about 2 mg. You can find vitamin B6 in the following foods:

• Bananas
• Wheat germ
• Whole-grain flour

Vitamin B6 is important because it’s involved in more than 100 enzyme reactions in the body’s cells, helping us metabolize amino acids from our food and build new red blood cells. There is intriguing research that B6 may help reduce the risk of heart disease, but this benefit has not yet been definitely established. The health benefits of vitamin B6 uncovered by clinical research include reduction in heart disease risk. Although deficiency in this vitamin is rare in the United States, it can lead to muscle weakness, depression, irritability, short term memory loss, nervousness, and difficulty concentrating.

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What Does Vitamin B

• Takeaway

Thiamine: A vitamin workhorse

Thiamine is an essential nutrient that all tissues of the body need to function properly. Thiamine was the first B vitamin that scientists discovered. This is why its name carries the number 1. Like the other B vitamins, thiamine is water-soluble and helps the body turn food into energy. You can find it in:

• foods
• individual supplements
• multivitamins

The body needs thiamine to make adenosine triphosphate . This is a molecule that transports energy within cells.

A thiamine deficiency can impact many different functions of your body, including those of the:

• nervous system
• heart
• brain

Thankfully, thiamine deficiency is uncommon in the developed world. Thiamine deficiency is rare in healthy adults. Its more common in people with specific medical conditions. Conditions that can impair thiamine levels include:

• anorexia

People who are undergoing dialysis for their kidneys or taking loop diuretics are also at risk for thiamine deficiency. Loop diuretics are prescribed for people with congestive heart failure. They can flush thiamine out of the body, possibly canceling out any health benefits. The heart relies on thiamine to function properly. People who take digoxin and phenytoin should also be careful.

Either disease can be treated with thiamine injections or supplements. This may help with vision and muscular difficulties. However, thiamine cant mend the permanent memory damage caused by Korsakoff syndrome.

Daily Recommendations For Vitamin B

Many B-complex supplements contain about 100% of the RDA of each of the eight B vitamins.

However, some contain very high levels of certain B vitamins. Before taking a high-dose supplement, talk with a doctor.

The following are RDAs for each of the B vitamins, in milligrams or micrograms , according to The National Institutes of Health . Older adults may require higher dosages of some B vitamins.

Vitamin B-complex supplements may help with certain health problems. If a person has any of the conditions listed below, they may benefit from taking a supplement that contains B vitamins:

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Needed For Maintaining Proper Energy Levels

Riboflavin is considered a vital component of mitochondrial energy. Vitamin B2 is used by the body to metabolize food for energy and to maintain proper brain, nerve, digestive and hormone function. This is why riboflavin is very important for growth and bodily repair. Without high enough levels of riboflavin, riboflavin deficiency occurs, and the molecules found in carbohydrate, fat and protein foods are not able to be properly digested and used for fuel that keeps the body running. This type of bodily fuel is called ATP , often called the currency of life. The predominant role of mitochondria is the production of ATP.

Vitamin B2 is needed in order to break down proteins into amino acids, fats and carbohydrates in the form of glucose. This helps convert nutrients from food into usable bodily energy that helps maintain a healthy metabolism.

Riboflavin is also needed to regulate proper thyroid activity and adrenal function. A riboflavin deficiency can increase the odds of thyroid disease. It also is useful in calming the nervous system, battling chronic stress, and regulating hormones that control appetite, energy, mood, temperature and more.

Preventing Of B Vitamins Deficiency

For maximum persons, some fit foods riched by means of a diversity of fruits, meats, vegetables and grains, are sufficient to check a scarcity of B complex vitamins. Ladies who are supposed to get into pregnancy are guided to takings folate complements. Elder persons or those with health situations that rise the danger of B vitamin insufficiency might as well advantage from taking an everyday complement. In the direction of staying healthy, most people do not need to take a supplement in order to get enough B vitamins. There are plenty of delicious foods available to get all the nutrients the body needs naturally. Try to eat a complete diet of meats, grains, fruits and vegetables. If any person does not eat meat, eggs or dairy, he or she can still get vitamin B12 from fortified foods or nutritional yeast to help prevent its deficiency .

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May Improve Mood And Reduce Symptoms Of Depression

Vitamin B6 plays an important role in mood regulation.

This is partly because this vitamin is necessary for creating neurotransmitters that regulate emotions, including serotonin, dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid .

Vitamin B6 may also play a role in decreasing high blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which have been linked to depression and other psychiatric issues .

Several studies have shown that depressive symptoms are associated with low blood levels and intakes of vitamin B6, especially in older adults who are at high risk for B vitamin deficiency .

One study in 250 older adults found that deficient blood levels of vitamin B6 doubled the likelihood of depression (

12 ).

A controlled two-year study in approximately 300 older men who did not have depression at the start found that those taking a supplement with B6, folate and B12 were not less likely to have depressive symptoms compared to the placebo group .

Summary Low levels of vitamin B6 in older adults have been linked to depression, but research has not shown that B6 is an effective treatment for mood disorders.

Benefit No : Reduce Migraine Headaches

• Riboflavin helps reduce migraine headaches.
• Pyridoxine controls the production of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and histamine. Histamine function can affect frequency and duration of migraines.
• A study by Griffith Universitys Griffiths Genomics Research Centre has shown that folate and vitamin B reduced the severity and frequency of headaches.

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What Is Vitamin B Good For

Vitamin B is the building block of a healthy body. It contributes to your energy levels, brain function, and cell metabolism.

Any deficiency will contribute to fatigue, poor appetite, depression, and numbness/tingling in the hands and/or feet. Over time, a lack of B12 could cause nervous system damage. This is a serious situation, best addressed by a doctor.

How Should I Take Thiamine

Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.

Injectable thiamine is injected into a muscle. You may be shown how to use injections at home. Do not self-inject this medicine if you do not fully understand how to give the injection and properly dispose of used needles and syringes.

Do not use the injectable medication if it has changed colors or has particles in it. Call your doctor for a new prescription.

The recommended dietary allowance of thiamine increases with age. Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions. You may also consult the National Academy of Sciences “Dietary Reference Intake” or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Dietary Reference Intake” listings for more information.

Thiamine is only part of a complete program of treatment that may also include a special diet. It is very important to follow the diet plan created for you by your doctor or nutrition counselor. You should become very familiar with the list of foods you should eat or avoid to help control your condition.

Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

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Vitamin B12 Vs B Complex: Which Supplement Is Right For You

Vitamin B is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in cell metabolism and synthesis of red blood cells.

This article highlights everything you need to know about what Vitamin B does for the body, the difference between Vitamin B12 and B Complex, B complex benefits and the different types of Vitamin B.