The term ‘vitamin B’ refers to eight different vitamins.
Vitamin B group
Vitamin B1: Thiamin
Thiamin allows the body to use carbohydrates as energy. Vitamin B1 is essential for glucose metabolism. In addition, it plays a key role in the functioning of nerves, muscles, and the heart.
Vitamin B2: Riboflavin
Riboflavin can be found in grains, plants, and dairy products. This vitamin is crucial for breaking down food into its various components. In addition, it’s essential for absorbing other nutrients and maintaining tissues.
Vitamin B3: Niacin
Every part of your body needs niacin it to function properly. As a supplement, niacin may assist in – for example – lowering cholesterol, easing arthritis and boosting brain functioning.
Vitamin B5: pantothenic acid
Pantothenic acid is necessary for making blood cells. In addition to this, it helps you convert the food you eat into energy.
Vitamin B7: Biotin
Biotin is a water-soluble B-vitamin. It assists your body by converting food into energy. It plays a crucial role during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Additionally, biotin is important for maintaining the health of your hair, skin and nails.
Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine
Pyridoxine has been used to inhibit or treat certain nerve disorders in addition to treating certain hereditary disorders.
Folate
The body needs folate to make DNA in addition to other genetic material. In addition, your body also needs folate for your cells to divide. Folic acid, which is a form of folate, is used in fortified foods and most dietary supplements.
Vitamin B12: Cyanocobalamin
This is a man-made form of vitamin B12. Cyanocobalamin plays an important role in growth, cell reproduction, blood formation in addition to protein and tissue synthesis.
As we mentioned earlier in this article, all B vitamins play a key role in converting food into energy in the body. Each vitamin also has a unique role in a person’s health. B vitamins are important for making sure the body’s cells are functioning properly:
- As mentioned previously, they help the body convert food into energy (metabolism),
- Create new blood cells, and
- Maintain healthy skin cells, brain cells, and other body tissues.
Available in most pharmacies and the healthy aisles of your local supermarkets, vitamin B-complex supplements include all of the essential B vitamins in one pill. Some of these supplements contain 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of every B vitamin. Others contain higher doses of some or all of these vitamins.
Many individuals take in all the vitamin B they need from their diets. However, others benefit from taking a vitamin B-complex supplement.
The best food sources of vitamin B
Get all eight B vitamins from a variety of foods such as:
- Whole grains (brown rice, barley, millet)
- Meat (red meat, poultry, fish)
- Eggs and dairy products (milk, cheese)
- Legumes (beans, lentils)
- Seeds and nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds)
- Dark, leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kai lan)
- Fruits (citrus fruits, avocados, bananas)
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