Should you be taking B Vitamins?

Why might you want to supplement with B vitamins?
What are they and why do you need them?

I get asked this question a lot.
First, let me be very clear.
I don't give recommendations for specific vitamins or supplements.
Supplements are something that should be customized to each individual based on their personal history, specific needs, potential deficiencies, and/or their primary practitioner's recommendation.
In my coaching, I educate my clients about being careful to not be throwing a random selection or amount of vitamins and minerals at their body and expecting magic results.
You see, your body is a very complex machine with many, many intricate processes happening at the cellular level every second of every day, and everything you swallow must go through your very comprehensive digestion and absorption/detoxification processes.

So, it's very important to know what your body needs and why, and not to just start swallowing a bunch of vitamin pills without knowing what they do or how they may affect your current or future wellness.
Some supplements, like the B-Complex group of vitamins, are "water soluble," meaning they are not stored in the body and must be replenished daily, and what your body doesn't need that day will be excreted quickly through urine and rarely build up to toxic levels in the body.

But, it's important to note that there are also "fat soluble" vitamins and minerals, meaning what the body doesn't use is stored in fat cells, and any overage ingested is stored and not released through urine. Taking too much of a fat soluble supplement can potentially build up to toxic levels and create problems.

Ok, so having said all that, vitamins and mineral supplements CAN be very beneficial to your body depending on what you eat or drink, how or if you work out, and what inflammatory issues you may already have presenting.

If you want to know exactly what supplements you should take before you just start spending a lot of money or causing your liver and kidneys a lot of extra effort to make sense of all the added nutrients, I highly recommend a consult with a professional that you trust. You'll want to have a full health history and assessment completed by someone who is licensed to do blood tests and diagnose the results for you.

Now, B vitamins are commonly taken by many people, but most people don't know B vitamins are best taken in the complex form, meaning all together as a group. For example, if you're taking only B12, then you're only getting one of the many B Complex group of nutrients.

So, you’re probably familiar with Vitamin B6 and B12, but did you know there are actually eight B vitamins?
All these vitamins help a variety of enzymes do their jobs, ranging from releasing energy from carbohydrates and fat to breaking down amino acids and transporting oxygen and energy-containing nutrients around the body.

Here is a list of the group of B vitamins and what they do:

Vitamin B1- (thiamine) helps to release energy from foods and is important in maintaining nervous system function.
Vitamin B2 - (riboflavin) promotes healthy vision and healthy skin, and is also important in converting the amino acid tryptophan into niacin.
Vitamin B3 - (niacin) aids in digestion, metabolism, and normal enzyme function, as well as promoting healthy skin and nerves.
Vitamin B6 - (pyridoxine) aids in protein metabolism and the production of red blood cell, insulin, and hemoglobin.
Folate - (folic acid) also aids in protein metabolism and red blood cell formation and may reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects. (This is commonly prescribed by physicians to pregnant women)
Vitamin B12 - (cobalamin) aids in the production of normal red blood cells as well as the maintenance of the nervous system.
(Be sure when you take this in the form "methyl cobalamin" and not "cyano cobalamin" - check the ingredient list to see which form the manufacturer is using.)
Biotin helps release energy from carbohydrates and aids in the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from food. (And, since studies have shown that biotin deficiency can lead to thinning of the hair, some practicioners claim that taking biotin supplements may help thicken hair and stimulate hair and nail growth.)
Pantothenic acid - aids in metabolism and the formation of hormones.
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I encourage you to ask your trusted practitioner about what supplements you may benefit from adding to your wellness regimen, or if you don't currently have a wellness practitioner, seek one that knows about hydration and nutrition, and takes the time to do a full assessment and health review before prescribing or recommending vitamins and minerals.

Again, be VERY careful to not just take random supplements from different programs without knowing their manufacturing processes, ingredients, and VERY IMPORTANT - WHERE the ingredients are SOURCED.

As I always say, everything you put into your mouth is either helping your body to do what it does every day, or it's causing your body stress and unnecessary energy depletion to detoxify from, compensate for, or store.
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