The B Vitamins

The B Vitamins - The Energy Vitamins

The B vitamins were identified and isolated early in the twentieth century when refined grains were first found to cause deficiency diseases. The B vitamins work so closely together that it is hard to tell which individual B vitamin is missing when a deficiency occurs. The B vitamins need to be taken together in food or in supplements.




Other nutrients also interact with the B vitamins. In one case, a mineral, iron,and an essential amino acid, tryptophan, are both needed to synthesize niacin,vitamin B3. The best way to avoid a deficiency of B vitamins is to eat a varied diet of fresh fruit, an abundance of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds,and other food as desired. Some of these B vitamins can also be made by friendly bacteria in a healthy colon and absorbed into circulation.

The B Vitamins
B1 Thiamin
Biotin
Folate
B2 Riboflavin
B5 Pantothenic Acid
B12 Cobalamin
B3 Niacin
B6 Pyridoxine

THE ROLES OF THE B VITAMINS

The B vitamins are needed for healthy nerve conduction and thus muscle action.They are needed for the synthesis of many important neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. B vitamins are also indispensable for the synthesis of fats used in the myelin sheaths of nerve cells. With the special ability of the B vitamins to make neurotransmitters and also to make the myelin sheaths of nerve cells, the B vitamins are well known for helping with stress.