What is Vitamin B

What is Vitamin B

The B family of vitamins consists of eight water soluble vitamins that are co-dependent on one another. These vitamins include vitamin B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-9, and B-12.

Benefits of B Vitamins

B Vitamins are important for maintaining and improving your metabolism, maintaining healthy skin, supporting the immune and nervous systems, reducing stress, cell growth, reducing cancer risk, and helping with muscle tone. As stated above B vitamins are interrelated and need one another.

1. Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin) - Is important for your metabolism, nervous system, brain functioning, and energy production. The recommended daily intake is about 10-50 mg. It is commonly found in grains, rice, oats, veggies, legumes, seeds, and nuts. Too little B-1 intake can cause sugar cravings, fatigue, and weight loss. There is no major toxicity issue associated with it.
2. Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) - Helps protect cells from damage, helps with the maintenance of your eye tissues, maintains supply of other B vitamins, protect against certain cancers, used to help with stress. The recommended daily intake is 15-50 mg. You can find B-2 in spinach, mushrooms, salmon, broccoli, yogurt, eggs, cow's milk, and asparagus. Not consuming enough B-2 can cause skin rashes and fatigue; however, consuming too much doesn't have any major issues associated with it.
3. Vitamin B-3 (Niacin) - It is used to help lower cholesterol levels. It is considered a safe, cost-effective method of lowering cholesterol. It also helps your body process fats, stabilize blood sugar, and reduce allergic reactions. You can find B-3 in peanuts, poultry, tuna, salmon, and legumes. It is suggested to take about 12-20 mg a day. Deficiency will cause pellagra and toxicity can cause liver irritation.
4. Vitamin B-5 (Pantothenic Acid) - Is great for adrenal gland support, which can help reduce stress. It also is good for converting carbohydrates and fats into energy. It is used to reduce acne and helps produce healthy fats. You can find B-5 in egg yolks, crimini mushrooms, sunflower seeds, yogurt, corn, broccoli, peas, and cauliflower. It is suggested to consume about 100-500 mg a day. There are no significant toxicity issues associated with it, however, deficiency can cause fatigue, graying of hair, and issues with your blood sugar.
5. Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine) - Many consider this the most important B vitamin because it has many life supporting functions, namely enzymatic chemical reactions (over 100) that are vital to bodily functions. It helps the body produce energy and is considered a mood enhancing vitamin. You can find vitamin B-6 in whole grains, banana's, tuna, chicken, salmon, and cod. It is suggested to consume 1-2 mg a day. Skin disorders and depression are associated with deficiency issues of B-6, and nervous system issues are associated with toxicity issues, if consumed in extremely high amounts.
6. Vitamin B-7 (Biotin) - It helps your metabolism function better and it helps maintain healthy skin and hair through fat production. It's found in rice, yeast, tomatoes, carrots, egg yolks, romaine lettuce, almonds, walnuts, onions, cucumbers, cabbage, strawberries, and milk. It is recommended to take 150-300 mg a day. There are no major toxicity or deficiency issues.
7. Vitamin B-9 (Folic Acid) - It is used by the body to form red blood cells, supports cell production, helps with protein and amino acid metabolism, and helps your nerve functioning. It's found mainly in leafy green vegetables, the name folic acid comes from the word foliage. You can also get it by consuming corn, legumes, beans, and wheat. It is recommended to consume 400-600 mg a day for adults.
8. Vitamin B-12 (Cobalamin) - Like B-9, vitamin B-12 supports red blood cell formation. It creates nerve coverings (myelin sheaths), which helps nerves function correctly and helps in metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It is found in eggs, dairy products, sardines, salmon, snapper, shrimp, halibut, beef, and lamb. It is recommended to consume about 1-3 micrograms (1000 micrograms = 1 milligram). There are no major toxicity issues associated with the vitamin. Deficiency of B-12 can cause a host of issues, such as, fatigue, low red blood cells, nervousness, poor reflexes, memory problems, and soreness & tingling feelings.

Understanding what is vitamin B or in reality what the B Vitamins are is an important part of healthy eating. Recognize that these vitamins are codependent on one another and that your body doesn't store them well so it's best to consume them through foods and supplements.