Vitamin B Complex - a group of essential vitamins that contribute to human health.
Did you know that B vitamins are the building blocks in the human body? All nutrients of the vitamin B complex help maintain brain function and offer many other health benefits as well. Improving heart health, helping prevent anemia and migraine, and fighting depression to name a few.
Vitamin B Complex contains eight essential vitamins:
- B-1 (thiamine)
- B-2 (riboflavin)
- B-3 (niacin)
- B-5 (pantothenic acid)
- B-6 (pyridoxine)
- B-7 (biotin)
- B-9 (folic acid)
- B-12 (cobalamin)
Side Note: These are the scientific names in the brackets.
So, if you are not already taking adequate levels of vitamin B complex, make sure to do it now. Because health must be your priority.
If you are still not convinced, let’s describe some of the major benefits of the vitamin B complex that prove this nutrient is important for your health.
Top 11 Reasons Vitamin B Complex is Good for Human
- Lowers the Risk of Strokes
- Helps Prevent Anemia
- Improves Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Helps Treat Canker Sores
- Prevents Beriberi
- Improves the Health of Infants
- Helps Prevent Migraine
- Fights Depression and Anxiety
- Heals Skin Wounds
- Breaks Down Food into Energy
- Lowers the Risk of Strokes
It has been observed that the vitamin B complex lowers the percentage of strokes. Stroke is a condition in which a blood clot becomes the barrier for the blood to flow towards the brain. Stroke can also cause a blood vessel to bursts in the brain.
Xu Yuming and colleagues from Zhengzhou, China, performed a study on 50,000 people. They were given random clinical trials for six months and even longer and the results indicated that vitamin B supplements lowered the stroke risks. Around 7 percent of people from the group had stroke resistance due to vitamin B supplements (2).
However, before taking vitamin B complex supplements, be sure to consult your healthcare provider.
- Helps Prevent Anemia
Vitamin B12 in the Vitamin B Complex is responsible for avoiding anemia- a condition in which you lack healthy red blood cells. Lack of red blood cells implies the poor transfer of oxygen around the body that may lead to death as well.
Vitamin B12 is essential for building red blood cells and maintaining healthy nerve cells in the body. Hence, we suggest consuming the required amount of it daily.
However, vitamin B12 is not naturally found in plant foods. So, if you are a vegetarian, it is suggested to take supplements containing vitamin B12, such as Hydreint. It contains vitamin B complex, including 0.025mg of B12.
- Improves Premenstrual Syndrome
According to a study, it is found out that consuming a unified supplement of B-6 and calcium enhances symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) (4).
PMS is a condition that causes mood swings, tender breasts, food cravings, fatigue, irritability, and more before your menstrual cycle. Another systematic review and meta-analysis have found that vitamin B-6 helps to control PMS problems, both physically and psychologically (5).
Vitamin B6 is a vital nutrient of the vitamin B complex and hence, consuming it can help avoid the syndrome.
- Treats Canker Sores
Canker sores are small shallow lesions that form in the mouth at the base of the gums. They are not contagious but can cause severe pains and make eating difficult.
Fun Fact: Canker sores are also called oral ulcers.
Vitamin B-12, which is a part of the Vitamin B Complex, is usually required to treat this problem. According to a study, an ointment containing vitamin B-12 can relieve the pain caused by canker sores (6).
Thus, consume vitamin B12 either from foods or from vitamin B complex supplements because maintaining its adequate level is also essential to avoid such diseases.
- Prevents Beriberi
Too little Vitamin B-1 in the human body causes a disease called Beriberi. It is a disease that affects the heart, digestive system, and nervous system.
Symptoms of Beriberi
The symptoms of beriberi disease include:
- Difficulty in walking
- Numb hands and feet
- Paralysis of lower legs
- Even worse, Heart failure
This disease is normally found in people who are malnourished or consume alcohol.
So, people consuming a greater amount of alcohol must take vitamin B-1 supplements.
DISCLAIMER: Consuming only one B-1 vitamin may lead to an imbalance of other vitamins. Therefore, it is suggested that you take supplements that contain Vitamin B Complex which includes all of the B vitamins, and balance is maintained.
- Improves the Health of Infants
Do you know which vitamin from the Vitamin B Complex is essential for babies in the wombs?
Vitamin B-9 - also known as folic acid or folate. When you consume vitamin B-9 during pregnancy, it ensures that your baby has adequate growth and development. This vitamin prevents neural tube defects and promotes healthy birth.
NIH infers that normal adults can take 400 mcg of vitamin B-9, while the women who are breastfeeding should take 500 mcg, and those who are pregnant yet must take 600 mcg every day (7).
- Prevents Migraine
Research suggests that some of the vitamins from the Vitamin B Complex can help prevent migraines. Migraine is a condition in which one experiences severe headaches. This happens because certain vitamins from the B complex influence mitochondrial dysfunction at the cellular stage (8).
These vitamins include:
- Vitamin B-6
- Vitamin B-9
- Vitamin B-12
Further, another research from 2017 suggests that Vitamin B-2 influences the prevention of migraines (9).
- Fights Depression and Anxiety
Vitamin B-12 levels in the human body play a vital role in the growth or reduction of depression and anxiety. People with lower levels of vitamin B-12 suffer from mental conditions like anxiety and depression. On the other hand, having adequate levels of B-12 in the body can help fight and prevent depression.
According to a meta-analysis, B vitamins help with depression in particular cases. Researchers also say that consuming vitamin B complex regularly for numerous weeks could lessen the depression risks (10,11).
Another small study done in India states that the deficiency of B-9 and B-12 causes depression and anxiety (12).
- Heals Skin Wounds
Another reason vitamin B Complex is essential for human health is that B vitamins help heal skin wounds.
A study suggests that applying B vitamins to the skin enables the wounds to heal effectively (13). Another study indicates that B-12 healed the wounds in mice having diabetes (14).
- Breaks Down Food into Energy
To break down food that we consume every day, our body requires vitamin B-3- also known as nicotine or niacin.
If your body doesn’t get enough niacin(B-3), it may lead to pellagra disorder. The disorder is marked by:
- Diarrhea
- Inflamed mucous membrane (swelling of lips, mouth, gums, cheeks, or tongue).
- Dementia (inability to remember, think, and memorize stuff)
- Darker skin
To avoid these problems and carry out a proper breakdown of food, make sure you consume enough amount of B-3 daily. Or else, you may have other problems such as high cholesterol levels.
Daily Dosage of Vitamin B Complex
All the reasons described above show that B vitamins are necessary for every human being, either young or adult. Deficiency of these vitamins causes loss of appetite, eczema (a condition that causes itchy, rough, or dry skin), anemia, and more.
