• There are nine water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin C is one; the other eight are B-vitamins.


• Vitamin B is not a single vitamin like vitamin C. An interesting historical fact - that Vitamin B is actually a complex of unique vitamins commonly found in the same foods.



Vitamin B-Complex



• The eight water-soluble vitamins of the B-complex group are:
• thiamin (vitamin B1)
• riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• niacin B3
• vitamin B6
• folate, folic acid B9
• vitamin B12
• biotin B7 (also known as vitamin H)
• pantothenic acid B5


• Good news for us... these vitamins are widely distributed in foods. Their influence is felt in many parts of the body. They function as coenzymes that help the body obtain energy from food.


• In fact, B-vitamins are also important for normal appetite, good vision, healthy skin, healthy nervous system and red blood cell formation.


• B vitamins often work together - synergistically - to support many functions in the body. B vitamins support and promote:


• Metabolizing of food
• Red blood cell production
• Maintenance of skin
• Maintenance of muscle tone
• Nervous system function
• Immune system function
• Cell growth and division


• All of the vitamin B group are considered essential nutrients, which means we cannot produce them in our own body - we must get them from our food.


• In fact B vitamins, like vitamin C, are water-soluble vitamins that are not stored in the body and must be replaced each day. We need a regular and continuous supply of them in our daily diets.


• These vitamins are easily destroyed or washed out during food storage and preparation.


• The B-complex group is found in a variety of foods: cereal grains, legumes and fresh vegetables, meat, poultry, eggs, fish, milk and dairy products.


• Because water-soluble vitamins are easily destroyed or washed out during food storage or preparation, we need to help retain the vitamins in our food. Proper storage and preparation of food can minimize vitamin loss. To reduce vitamin loss, we can:


• refrigerate fresh produce
• keep milk and grains away from strong light
• use the cooking water from vegetables to prepare soups.


• The Vitamin B complex is one of the most important of the vitamins that influence the health and performance of the nervous system. B-group vitamins are responsible for creating some of the basic structures within the nervous system.


• For example, Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin because of its cobalt content, has a significant role in the formation of the nervous system and in maintaining the efficient and healthy operation of nerves and connections.


• Another B vitamin important to the nervous system is B9, commonly known as folic acid or folate. B9 supports the upkeep of the adult nervous system, and is needed for the production of neurotransmitters, chemicals that help one nerve communicate with another.


• Beriberi, pellagra and pernicious anemia are three well-known B-vitamin deficiencies. These diseases are not a problem in the United States. They only occur when people do not eat certain foods or overeat some foods at the expense of others.


• Alcoholics are prone to thiamin deficiency because they often do not eat anything substantial... alcohol replaces food.


• When grains are refined into flour, many of these essential nutrients are lost during the refining process. Still more are lost during the process of turning flour into bread or pasta.


• It was discovered that some of these nutrients could be 'replaced' through a process called enrichment. Common nutrients added during the enrichment process are thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate and iron.


• Enriched grain products such as white rice, most breakfast cereals, white flour, breads, and pasta are examples of foods where nutrients lost during processing are replaced with manufactured vitamins.


• For some populations in the world, rice is the main dietary staple. When "polishing" rice (removing its outer layers) became popular, thiamin deficiency, or beriberi, increased significantly.


• In the early years of the 1900s, pellagra became a widespread disease in the United States. It was found to be a dietary problem, a deficiency of niacin.


• Pellagra caused thousands of deaths and many cases of mental and physical illness especially among the poor. It was found in people who depended on these inexpensive food items for most of their daily calories.


• The replacement of the lost nutrients - the 'enrichment' - of flour, rice, pasta, and other refined grain products helped eliminate the deficiency problems created by the refining processes.


• Without basic nutrients, replenished on a daily basis in the case of the water-soluble vitamins, our bodies are unable to function normally, and we begin to get sick and develop signs of 'dis-ease'.


• If diagnosed and caught in time, and if properly treated with wholesome, nutritious, plain good food, our bodies have the remarkable ability to recover and heal from these dis-eases.


• These simple facts about vitamin B complex can help you make sure you get the nutrients you need, and have optimal health as a result.

Top of Facts About Vitamin B Page

Osteoporosis-People Home Page

Free Osteo-Update eNewsletter