If you eat a balanced diet, you will probably get all of the nutrients needed. Unfortunately, most people don’t know what a balanced diet is or have no time to follow the diet. Most rely on processed foods, and eat foods that have been chemically treated.
Therefore, we all could use a little help from certain supplements in order to ensure we are getting all the nutrients needed by the body.
Such is definitely the case with the B vitamin family – a key player in maintaining optimal health. To better understand what B complex vitamins are and how they function in our body, we must first discuss what exactly are B-complex vitamins. Vitamin B-complex is a group of 8 vitamins that when added up together are essential to the correct functioning of our body. They are vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 & B12.
B vitamins are water soluble, which means they are excreted from the body daily and must be replenished daily!
Each B-vitamin has a unique role in helping our organism, they are all equal in importance and vital for our body to function correctly. B-complex vitamins are principally in charge of one of the most important jobs, converting food into energy.
HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF EACH B VITAMIN AND ITS MAIN ROLE(S):
Vitamin B1: Essential in the formation of cells. It is also responsible for strengthening the immune system.
Vitamin B2: Also known as Riboflavin, B2 is a strong antioxidant to protect the body against free radicles. It also helps your body use the mineral iron efficiently and produce red blood cells. It is also great for the prevention of migraines.
Vitamin B3: Also know as Niacin. This vitamin’s principle function is to increase the levels of good cholesterol and reduce the levels of bad cholesterol. It should also be noted that individuals who consume large quantities of alcohol often are deficient in vitamin B3.
Vitamin B5: Also known as Pantothenic Acid, it is a very useful vitamin that helps our kidney glands function correctly. Also, it regulates the number of hormones our body produces.
Vitamin B6: B6 regulates functions associated with cardiovascular health. It also influences our mood and sleep.
Vitamin B7: B7 is also known as Biotin. It is very influential in beauty as it helps produce healthy skin, hair and nails. Being able to control sugar levels, it is also useful for reducing the risk of diabetes.
Vitamin B9: Also called Folic Acid, it is crucial for women in the period of gestation because it contributes to the development of the fetus.
Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is can be thought of as the captain of the B-complex vitamins. I say this because of its role as a complement and helper to other vitamins. For example, when combined with B9, it helps form red blood cells. It also helps iron complete its proper functions.
B-VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES ARE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH
B12 deficiency is a known cause for central and peripheral nervous system damage and Vitamin B6 deficiency causes depression and anxiety.
Vitamin B12 is the only vitamin that we can’t get from any plant sources, it is ONLY found in animal products. And the most abundant source of natural B12 on the planet is grass fed beef liver. Did you know that B12 deficiency used to be fatal until scientists discovered that death could be prevented by feeding patients raw liver?