Vitamin B Complex Benefits & Deficiency

Without your full complement of B vitamins, you can wind up feeling tired and worn out. The water-soluble B vitamins are a crucial part of your metabolism and are intimately involved in the production of energy from food. If you consume a healthy, balanced diet every day, you are probably getting enough. But certain medical conditions may require you to supplement one or more of the eight B vitamins. If you think you may be deficient in B vitamins, see your doctor.

Importance of B Vitamins
The B vitamins are: thiamine, or B1; riboflavin, or B2; niacin, or B3; pantothenic acid, or B5; pyridoxine, or B6; biotin, or B-7; folic acid or folate, also called B-9; and cobalamin, or B-12. They are water-soluble, meaning they dissolve easily in your bloodstream and are eliminated with your urine. Because any excess amounts are removed via urination, the B vitamins must be replenished daily. If you don’t get enough B vitamins from the foods in your diet, your physician may recommend a supplement.

Benefits of the Vitamin-B Complex
The B vitamins help your body convert food into energy. All of the cells in your body require energy to function and provide you with energy and stamina. Along with metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins into energy, B-complex vitamins are necessary for the breakdown of fatty acids, synthesis of DNA and steroid hormones, red blood-cell production, healthy immune and nervous systems, normal growth and development and proper heart and brain function. A deficiency in any of the B vitamins can have a negative effect on your health.

Symptoms of B-Vitamin Deficiency
If you have low levels of more than one of the B vitamins, your doctor will probably have you take vitamin B complex. The symptoms of B-vitamin deficiency vary, depending on which B vitamins you aren’t getting enough of. Deficiencies can cause fatigue and mental confusion. “Science Daily” reports a 2008 laboratory study that linked deficiency of vitamins B-6, B-12 and folate with memory and learning impairment in rats. Other symptoms that can indicate a need to take vitamin-B complex include anemia, muscle weakness, cracks in the corners of your mouth, a rash, nausea, diarrhea, a smooth tongue and tingling in your hands and feet, according to the Colorado State University Extension.

Risks And Effects Vitamin B Deficiencies
Deficiency of any of the B vitamins is rare in the United States, but you are at a greater risk if you are a strict vegetarian, on a low-carb diet, don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits, are pregnant, alcoholic, older than 50 or have had gastric-bypass surgery. If you have beriberi from a thiamine deficiency, pellagra caused by a niacin deficiency and anemia from a B-12 deficiency, you need a B complex containing those B vitamins. Your doctor can also have you take B complex containing niacin, folate and B-12 to decrease your risk of heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

If you are a woman of childbearing age, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that you should get 400 mcg of folic acid daily to prevent fetal neural-tube defects. All women in this age group should take folic acid because these defects often develop before a woman knows that she is pregnant.

By Kathryn Meininger
http://www.livestrong.com/article/509360-vitamin-b-complex-benefits-deficiency/