Be Conscious of B Vitamins
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
Ever have those days in the office where one person didn’t show and now the whole operation just seems… off? Lunch is quiet, a deliverable is at a standstill awaiting this person’s return, and now the printer is suddenly broken for some reason. Well, this is how B vitamins feel when you’re deficient in one of them. They work synergistically so it’s important we get the full complement of them, rather than high volumes of one or two types.
So what exactly are B vitamins? There are many types, but the 8 essential ones are thymine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folate, and cobalamin. They are primarily responsible for turning food into usable energy, and also promoting red blood cell function, neurological function, and healthy pregnancies. Being deficient in one or more can lead to anemia, cognitive decline, mood changes, weakened immune system, the list goes on. But don’t let that stress you out! Seriously, stress actually depletes our B vitamins so worrying about not having enough of one won’t help solve the problem.
What will fix the issue is consistently getting enough B vitamins in your diet. The key word here is consistently. They are water soluble, meaning any extra gets flushed down the toilet instead of being stored in the body. Foods like fish, poultry, meat, dairy, eggs, leafy green vegetables, nutritional yeast, beans, and peas are all great sources of B vitamins. If none of those sound appetizing, you find yourself experiencing some chronic medical conditions or you’re constantly stressed. Supplements are also a safe and easy option.
There are thousands of supplements out there, so it’s important you’re getting the right ones. First be sure it’s a b-complex…remember, the whole team has to be there for everything to function properly. Next, you want the activated form of each B vitamin. Most B vitamin supplements are unmethylated, meaning our bodies have to go through an extra 18-ish steps in a process called methylation in order to make the nutrients usable. Unfortunately around half of the world can’t get the benefits of the supplement due to a mutation in the MTHFR gene responsible for this process. I know this sounds like a Breaking Bad episode, but in English, this basically means you’ll want to read the label and look for the prefix “methyl-” on the various B vitamins listed. On a label, you may see methylcobalamin, for example. This means the B vitamin has already been methylated, you are taking the “activated” form so it’s less work for your body, ensuring you actually get cobalamin (aka B12) in your system.
Let’s do a quick recap. B Vitamins are an essential nutrient for the body, and the only way to get them is through our diet. They help turn our food into energy and boost immune and neurological responses. Lacking one or more can lead to a whole host of issues such as anemia and cognitive decline. If you choose to supplement, read the ingredients to ensure you’re getting all eight essential B vitamins in the methylated form. Most importantly be consistent when it comes to these particular nutrients. Remember they’re water soluble. As long as you regularly get enough through either food or supplementation, your vitamin levels, and your health, will “B” alright.
