Health Benefits of B Vitamins | Vitamin B12 | Vitamin B Complex

Health Benefits of B Vitamins

B vitamins play a vital role in maintaining good health and well-being. They help the body convert food into energy (metabolism), create new blood cells, and maintain healthy skin cells, brain cells, and other body tissues. Thus are the building blocks of a healthy body. Vitamin B complex helps prevent infections and helps support or promote cell health. 

The natural sources of B vitamins are animal proteins such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Plant-based sources of B vitamins include leafy green vegetables, mushrooms, beans, peas, tomatoes, peanuts, soya beans, kidney beans, wheat germ, oats, cashews, and bananas. You may also include some fortified breakfast cereals.

B-complex supplements may relieve stress, boost cognitive performance, and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, even in people without B vitamin deficiencies.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B-12, or cobalamin, is a nutrient you need for good health. It’s one of eight B vitamins that help the body convert the food you eat into glucose, which gives you energy. Vitamin B-12 has a number of additional functions.

Vitamin B12 helps with red blood cell formation and anemia prevention. They support bone health and prevent osteoporosis. Reduce your risk of macular degeneration. Also helps in improving mood swings and symptoms of depression.

If you are experiencing neurological problems, such as persistent tingling in the hands and feet or problems with balance. If you are having mental confusion and forgetfulness then you might have a vitamin B-12 deficiency. You should get your level checked and the basis should consult a doctor for supplementation.

You must include some top sources of B vitamins like meat (especially liver), seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, legumes, leafy greens, seeds, and fortified foods, such as breakfast cereal and nutritional yeast.

B Vitamins have many health benefits

Vitamin B helps in Weight Loss

Vitamin B also helps with weight loss as these vitamins help boost the metabolism, necessary to drop unwanted inches. In fact, vitamins even help convert carbs into energy. B vitamins work best for weight loss.

In fact, 4 popular weight loss vitamins include vitamin B, D, iron, and magnesium.
Check out the Best Vitamins To Take Daily!

All B vitamins are water-soluble and don’t require food for absorption.

Nevertheless, a diet rich in refined sugars and starches tends to deplete your body of vitamins in general but hits the B-complex vitamins especially hard. Moreover, factors like Alcohol, Caffeine, Stress, and Medications also affect the absorption of vitamin B.

Even if you’re taking B-12 on a regular basis, your body might not be able to absorb it, resulting in a deficiency that could be causing your fatigue.  Vitamin B-12 in supplements generally absorbs efficiently after binding with a specialized protein called intrinsic factor. B-12 in foods also needs this protein for absorption, but it has to go through a separate digestive step before this can happen. However, if your body doesn’t have enough intrinsic factors, which is more likely to happen in older adults, you might not be able to absorb the vitamin. Or if you have chronic intestinal problems such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or irritable bowel syndrome, your intestinal tract may not be absorbing much B-12, causing a deficiency.

Feeling tired all the time might have no relationship to the type of supplement you’re taking. Poor diet, iron deficiency, a poorly functioning thyroid, autoimmune disorders, and infections throughout the body can also cause chronic fatigue. 

Which is better B12 or B complex?

When it comes to the issue of vitamin B12 vs B complex, both types of vitamins are crucial. If you’re lacking B12, consume more of it via supplements or food. If you’re lacking vitamin B in general, consider B complex vitamins instead. Overall, both vitamins are essential nutrients.

B Vitamins are Good for Hair

B vitamins help with hair growth because they play a key role in producing red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the scalp so that hair follicles can generate new hair.

Related Information:

• Understand the importance of B vitamins and folic acid
• Recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals – Lenntech
• How do you test for B12 deficiency?
• What are the neurological symptoms of B12 deficiency?

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