Your Body on B Vitamins

B Vitamins support your body in many ways, by boosting your healthy cell function, metabolism, immune system, neurological function, mental health, energy and red blood cell production, and more. Many B vitamins may exist within a single food, yet they dramatically differ in how they affect the body -- each improves certain functions. As a whole, B vitamins lead to many improvements for your health.

B Vitamins Overview: What do they do for you?
When you are getting all the B vitamins you need, you’ll likely see increased energy, better moods, improved memory, gorgeous hair and skin, hearty immunity, and clearer vision. These vitamins are essential for radiating good health. 

Eight vitamins comprise the B complex family: 

• B1 (thiamine), 
• B2 (riboflavin), 
• B3 niacin, 
• B5 (pantothenic acid), 
• B6 (pyridoxine), 
• B7 (biotin), 
• B9 (folate), and 
• B12 (cobalamins). 

B Vitamins cover a huge range of functions in our body, with many overlapping beneficial effects. We describe each below. Look for those that most resonate with your healthy lifestyle goals.

 

B1 Vitamin (Thiamine) Benefits

Thiamine plays a crucial role in our bodies by helping our bodies convert carbohydrates into usable energy. Without thiamine, we would be much lower in energy and struggle with complications with our hearts, digestive system, nerves, and muscles. Thiamin can be used in medicine to help with inflammation of our nerves, diarrhea, little appetite, and low energy. Even athletes commonly use thiamine to legally improve their performance due to their energy, heart, and muscle-boosting properties! 

 

Thiamin can also be taken to improve the quality of our skin, hair, and nails which are all benefited from proper thiamine levels in our bodies.

 

B2 Vitamin (Riboflavin) Benefits

If you’re looking to boost your energy conversion from proteins you consume, look no further than riboflavin. Riboflavin is an important vitamin that allows our bodies to properly grow and produce enough red blood cells. Riboflavin enriches our brain and may be able to help with concentration and focus too!

 

B3 Vitamin (Niacin) Benefits

Like other B vitamins, Niacin is important in our bodies for converting our food into energy. Niacin taken orally has been shown to increase “good” cholesterol, like density lipoprotein cholesterol, in the body while removing lower-density lipoprotein cholesterol, aka “bad cholesterol, from the blood. If you are someone with too much “bad” cholesterol or too little “good” cholesterol, Niacin may be a great supplement for you to aid in improving your cholesterol levels. 

 

B5 Vitamin (Pantothenic Acid) Benefits

Pantothenic acid is crucial for the body to be able to properly break down food. This particular vitamin is linked with improvements in metabolism and may be helpful to you if you feel that your metabolism is slower or damaged in any way. Pantothenic acid is also needed for your body to make fatty acids, neurotransmitters, hormones, and hemoglobin. 

 

When we have too little pantothenic acid in our bodies, we may experience neurologic symptoms and the feeling of itchy or burning feet. Taking B5 vitamins may help with a healthy liver, digestive systems, and how well your body carries oxygen throughout the body.

 

B6 Vitamin (Pyridoxine) Benefits

If you tend to get sick frequently, consider a B6 vitamin supplement. B6 is known for helping the body make more antibodies, which fights off sickness. Other benefits include help breaking down proteins, keeping your blood sugar at a stable, normal rate, and helping your body maintain nerve functioning. 

 

If you’ve ever struggled with anemia, which is an iron deficiency, B6 may help! Due to its ability to help your body break down protein, it will help you to maximize the iron you are taking in which can be helpful for those facing anemia. 

 

B7 Vitamin (Biotin) Benefits

Biotin is a hugely popular supplement to take when you’re trying to improve the quality of your skin, hair, and nails. Biotin is necessary for healthy hair and bones, which makes it especially useless for those of us with brittle nails, thinning hair, skin problems, or other issues of this nature. Biotin is most commonly taken for these issues but is also beneficial for helping your body break down and synthesize glucose. 

 

B9 (Folate) Benefits

Folate is commonly associated with soon to be mothers, as it’s a commonly recommended supplements for women trying to become pregnant. Folate is excellent for helping prevent spinal and brain birth defects and is recommended to sexually active women of childbearing age, in case they were to become pregnant. There’s also research to show that folate may lower the risk of breast cancer in women who consume alcohol. If you are a female of childbearing age or someone who consumes alcohol, folate may be a great option to offset some of the risks that these actions could lead to. 

 

B12 Vitamin (Cobalamin) Benefits

B12 vitamins may lower the risk of heart disease, especially in older adults. Older adults have been shown to be less effective at absorbing B12 vitamins from their food as they age, which makes a supplement a good idea. 

 

The B12 vitamin is also commonly taken by vegetarians and vegans, who don’t typically consume enough foods with ample B12 vitamins in them, as B12 is primarily found in meat products. When the body isn’t receiving enough B12 vitamins, neurological effects are most common. These include things like dementia, memory loss, and numbness in the limbs. We recommend the B12 vitamin supplement particularly for older adults or people whose diets don’t include meat to help avoid this. 

Whole food sources of Vitamin B

We believe that supplements are amazing, but not always the cure. Supplements are a great addition to a whole foods, healthy diet that supports you and your body. By working with your doctor, eating a whole foods diet, and taking supplements to enhance your life further, we believe that you can lead an incredible life!

 

Here are some excellent whole food sources of Vitamin B to try out:

 

• Healthy meats like poultry and fish
• Mushrooms
• Avocados
• Soy milk
• Tomatoes
• Cheese
• Soybeans
• Red meat in moderation
• Eggs
• Healthy carbohydrates like brown rice and enriched grains and cereals
• Watermelons
• Tofu and other soy products
• Noncitrus fruits, such as bananas

 

Try combining these foods with our healthful supplements to find your best combination for a healthier, happier life!

 

How Almeda products help

We’ve worked with the world’s top research labs to ensure your body is getting nutrients that are most often lacking in our modern diets. Our products work well alongside a diet rich in whole foods -- they help bridge the gaps of what you may be missing. 

 

We also recognize that it can be hard to fit in “perfectly whole” food sources at all times. So our products are designed to support you at all times. Talk with your doctor about what’s missing from your diet and what supplements they recommend for your optimal health. We’re here to give you further support with excellent, well-sourced supplements that when combined with a whole food diet are sure to give you a boost! 

Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219545#deficiency_symptoms

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/listing_of_vitamins

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002409.htm

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-niacin/art-20364984