The B vitamins are a group of eight individual vitamins, often referred to as the B-complex vitamins.

B vitamins are found in whole unprocessed foods. Processed carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour tend to have lower B vitamin than their unprocessed counterparts.

Vitamins are organic (carbon containing) molecules that mainly function as catalysts for reactions within the body.  A catalyst is a substance that allows a chemical reaction to occur using less energy and less time than it would take under normal conditions.  If these catalysts are missing, as in a vitamin deficiency, normal body functions can break down and render a person susceptible to disease.

The body requires vitamins in tiny amounts (hundredths of a gram in many cases).  Vitamins are primarily found  from these three sources:

• Foods
• Beverages
• Our bodies — Vitamin K and some of the B vitamins are produced by bacteria within our intestines, and vitamin D is formed with the help of ultraviolet radiation, or sunshine, on the skin.

Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble.  Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and the B vitamins.  Water-soluble vitamins taken in excess are excreted in the urine but are sometimes associated with toxicity.  Both the B vitamins and vitamin C are also stored in the liver.

The B-complex vitamins are actually a group of eight vitamins, which include:

• thiamine (B1)
• riboflavin (B2)
• niacin (B3)
• pantothenic acid (B5)
• pyridoxine (B6)
• cyanocobalamin (B12)
• folic acid
• biotin

These vitamins are essential for:

• The breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose (this provides energy for the body)
• The breakdown of fats and proteins (which aids the normal functioning of the nervous system)
• Muscle tone in the stomach and intestinal tract
• Skin
• Hair
• Eyes
• Mouth
• Liver

Some doctors and nutritionists suggest taking the B-complex vitamins as a group for overall good health. However, most agree that the best way to get our B vitamins is naturally — through the foods we eat!

Where B Vitamins Come From and Why They’re Important

­Th­e B-complex vitamins are found in brewer’s yeast, liver, whole-grain cereals, rice, nuts, milk, eggs, meats, fish, fruits, leafy green vegetables and many other foods.

Thiamine (B1)

The B vitamin thiamine is essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates into the simple sugar glucose. The chemical process involves the combination of thiamine with pyruvic acid to form a coenzyme, a substance that, when combined with other substances, forms an enzyme.  Enzymes are those all-important proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body.  Thiamine is also important for the proper functioning of the nervous system.  For instance, thiamine acts as a coenzyme in the production of the neurotransmitter (chemical messenger between nerve fibers) acetylcholine.

Thiamine is found in whole-grain cereals, bread, red meat, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, legumes, sweet corn, brown rice, berries, yeast, the germ and husks of grains and nuts. 

Riboflavin (B2)

Riboflavin is important in the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and, like thiamine, it acts as a coenzyme in the process.  It is also significant in the maintenance of the skin and mucous membranes, the cornea of the eye and for nerve sheaths.  Riboflavin also acts as a coenzyme for oxidation-reduction reactions throughout the body.  Oxidation reduction reactions involve the addition of either oxygen or hydrogen to a substance.  This is an important process when it acts to inhibit chemical reactions with oxygen or highly reactive free radicals.  These oxidation reactions can cause damage to our cells.  A deficiency of riboflavin can cause skin disorders (seborrheic dermatitis) and inflammation of the soft tissue lining around the mouth and nose, anemia, and can cause the eyes to be light-sensitive.  In the mouth, angular cheilosis can develop. This is a painful condition where lesions develop at the corners of your lips, and glossitis (inflammation of the tongue) can also occur.

Riboflavin is found in whole-grain products, milk, meat, eggs, cheese and peas. As a water-soluble vitamin, any excess is excreted, although small amounts are stored in the liver and kidney. 

Niacin (B3)

Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, is needed for the metabolism of food, the maintenance of healthy skin, nerves and the gastrointestinal tract.  Niacin is also used in the oxidation reduction.  A deficiency of niacin causes the disease, pellagra.  In the past, this disease was often associated with the very poor and was also a major cause of mental illness.  The symptoms of pellagra are sometimes referred to as the “three D’s” — diarrhea, dermatitis and dementia — ultimately resulting in a fourth “D”, death.  The mouth is also affected by pe llagra, which can cause the inside of the cheeks and tongue to become red and painful.  Fortunately, high doses of niacin (150-300 mg.) can reverse the effects of this disease.

Niacin is found in protein-rich food such as meats, fish, brewer’s yeast, milk, eggs, legumes, potatoes and peanuts.  Niacin can also be prescribed in higher doses as a drug to help lower cholesterol, but can cause side effects. The main side effects of high doses of niacin include flushing of the skin (due to dilating blood vessels), itching, headaches, cramps, nausea and skin eruptions.

Pyridoxine (B6)

Pyridoxine, also known as pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine, is needed (like some of the other B vitamins) for the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.  Pyridoxine is also used in the production of red blood cells, as well as in the biochemical reactions involved in the metabolism of amino acids (the building blocks of protein).  Due to the abundance of pyridoxine in many foods, a deficiency is rare except in alcoholics, where it is often present.  A pyridoxine deficiency causes skin disorders (similar to symptoms brought on by riboflavin and niacin deficiencies), neuropathy (abnormal nervous system), confusion, poor coordination and insomnia.  Oral signs of pyridoxine deficiency include inflammation of the edges of the lips, tongue and the rest of the mouth.  High doses of pyridoxine are sometimes touted as a remedy for premenstrual syndrome, but research has not supported this assertion. Mega-doses of pyridoxine can cause nerve damage.

Pyridoxine is found in many foods, including liver, organ meats, brown rice, fish, butter, wheat germ, whole grain cereals, soybeans and many others.

Cyanocobalamin (B12)

Vitamin B12 is necessary for processing carbohydrates, proteins and fats and to help make all of the blood cells in our bodies.  Vitamin B12 is also required for maintenance of our nerve sheaths.  Vitamin B12 acts as a coenzyme in the synthesis and repair of DNA.

Vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed or used by the body until it is combined with a mucoprotein made in the stomach and called intrinsic factor.  Once the B12 becomes bound to the intrinsic factor, it is able to pass into the small intestine to be absorbed and used by the body.  Vitamin B12 deficiency is sometimes seen in strict vegetarians who do not take vitamin supplements, and those who have an inability to absorb the vitamin (usually from a failure to produce intrinsic factor).  Although enough B12 is stored in the liver to sustain a person for many years, a deficiency will cause a disorder known as pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia causes weakness, numbness of the extremities, pallor, fever and other symptoms. Mouth irritation and brain damage are also common consequences of B12 deficiency.  However, these very serious effects can be reversed by vitamin B12 shots.  Shots are needed because the deficiency is often caused by an inability to absorb the vitamin when taken orally.  As we age, our stomachs have an increasingly difficult time producing intrinsic factor.  Many doctors recommend that people over 60 have their vitamin B12 levels checked, to see if a B12 shot is needed.

Vitamin B12 is not found in any plant food sources and is produced almost solely by bacteria, such as streptomyces griseus. Rich sources of B12 include liver, meat, egg yolk, poultry and milk.

Folic acid (B9)

Folic acid, also known as folacin and pteroylglutamic acid, is one of the B-complex vitamins that interacts with vitamin B12 for the synthesis of DNA, which is important for all cells in the body.  Folic acid, in combination with vitamin B12 and vitamin C), is necessary for the breakdown of proteins and the formation of hemoglobin, a compound in red blood cells that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide.  Folic acid is also essential to virtually all biochemical reactions that use a one-carbon transfer and is produced by bacteria in the stomach and intestines.

A deficiency of folic acid causes anemia, poor growth, and irritation of the mouth — all of which are similar to symptoms suffered by those with B12 deficiency.  Folic acid is present in nearly all natural foods but can be damaged, or weakened, during cooking.  Deficiencies are found mainly in alcoholics, the malnourished, the poor, the elderly and those who are unable to absorb food due to certain diseases (topical sprue, gluten enteropathy).

Folic acid is found in yeast, liver, green vegetables, whole grain cereals and many other foods. The need for folic acid increases during pregnancy, due to high requirements of the vitamin from the fetus. Doctors often suggest a 300 mcg. daily supplement for pregnant women. Many nutritional requirements change during pregnancy, and vitamins are no exception.  All of the B vitamins, especially folic acid, should be slightly increased during pregnancy and lactation.  The daily intake of folic acid should be increased from 180 mcg. to 400 mcg. during pregnancy and from 180 mcg. to 280 mcg. during lactationMega-doses of folic acid can produce convulsions, interfere with the anticonvulsant medication used by epileptics, and disrupt zinc absorption.

Pantothenic acid and biotin

Pantothenic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin needed to break down nutrients in our food into energy our cells can use.  Pantothenic acid is used in the breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids and some amino acids. It is also used for the synthesis of coenzyme A for biochemical reactions in the body. Biotin functions as a coenzyme in carboxylation reactions, which are also useful in many of the body’s functions. (Pantothenic acid, biotin and folic acid are often used in tandem by the body.)  Bacteria in our intestines produce both pantothenic acid and biotin.  

The vitamin is found in abundance in meats, legumes and whole-grain cereals.  Mega-doses of pantothenic acid can cause diarrhea.

Special Notes:

-        The B₁₂ vitamin is of note because it is not available from plant products, making B₁₂ deficiency a concern for vegans.  Manufacturers of plant-based foods will sometimes report B₁₂ content, leading to confusion about what sources yield B₁₂. The confusion arises because the standard US Pharmacopeia (USP) method for measuring the B₁₂ content does not measure the B₁₂ directly. Instead, it measures a bacterial response to the food. Chemical variants of the B₁₂ vitamin found in plant sources are active for bacteria, but cannot be used by the human body. This same phenomenon can cause significant over-reporting of B₁₂ content in other types of foods as well. 

-        Although the yeast used to make beer results in beer’s being a source of B vitamins, their bioavailability ranges from poor to negative as drinking ethanol inhibits absorption of thiamine (B₁), riboflavin (B₂),  niacin (B₃),  biotin (B₇),  and folic acid (B₉).  In addition, studies further emphasize that elevated consumption of beer and other ethanol-based drinks results in a net deficit of those B vitamins and the health risks associated with such deficiencies.

-        Vitamin B may also be delivered by injection to reverse deficiencies. 

-        Many energy drinks have been marketed with large amounts of B vitamins ₆, 120% of B₁₂, 140% of niacin (vitamin B₃)” with claims that this will cause the consumer to “sail through your day without feeling jittery or tense.”  Nutritionists, such as Case Western University Professor Hope Barkoukis, dismiss these claims: “It’s brilliant marketing, but it doesn’t have any basis [in fact]. 

-        While B vitamins do “help unlock the energy in foods… just about everyone in America already gets all of the B vitamins they could possibly need in their diets… In general, extra B vitamins are just flushed out of the system 

I hope this will give you an idea of how important it is to get the balance nutrients for optimal health.

Bob Bader’s Real World Personal Training provides group classes/bootcamps and one-on-one personal training in the North Colorado Springs/Tri-Lakes/Monument/Palmer Lake area.  Please contact Bob at 719-232-4386 for a free consultation.