“The B Vitamins”

Why plural? There are eight.

What do they do?

• Each B vitamin activates a different enzyme, so they have lots of different jobs.

• Bs do not supply us with energy.

• “They do help us metabolize carbs, lipids, and amino acids.”

• So even though they don’t directly contain energy, they help us get it.

• The B vitamins help us use the energy in food.

“B Deficiencies”

• “Lack of energy”

• “nausea”

• “irritability/depression”

• “loss of appetite/weight”

• “loss of limb control”

• ….and about a hundred others!

• In children, full recovery may be impossible.

• In the case of a thiamin deficiency in childhood, permanent brain damage can result.

“Individual B Vitamins”

• Thiamin• Riboflavin• Niacin• Folate

• B6 and B12

• Biotin• Pantothenic acid

• Tender• Romance• Never• Fails• With 6 or 12• Beautiful• Pearls.

“Thiamin”• “found on nerve cell membranes”

• “So muscles depend on it greatly”

• Deficiency: beriberi spread in Asia when rice was cleaned of outer husk

• “alcohol impairs absorption”

• When alcohol abuse causes thiamin deficiency, symptoms are similar to the abuse:

• Apathy, irritability, mental confusion, staggering walk

• Found in many nutritious foods

• Keep empty calories to a minimum, you’ll be okay.

“Riboflavin”

• “in enriched breads, cereals, pasta, dairy, veggies, meats”

• So again, deficiency is rare in the U.S.

• “symptoms: cracks at corners of mouth, hypersensitivity to light”

“Niacin”

• Deficiency: pellagra• Killed hundreds of thousands in the

South and Midwest in the 1900s• “pellagra: 4 D’s: diarrhea, dermatitis,

dementia, death”• Still occurs in people living in urban

slums, particularly with alcohol addiction

• When sufferers are exposed to light, skin darkens and flakes away, as seen here.

Toxicity

• niacin flush: dilation of capillaries of skin with intense, painful tingling

• Sometimes used as a drug in large amounts to improve blood lipids

• Should only be done under doctor’s supervision to prevent:

• Low blood pressure, liver injury, vision loss

“Folate”• “Helps to synthesize (make) DNA when

new cells form”

• Deficiency symptoms:–anemia, abnormal digestive function,

impaired immunity

• May also elevate risk of cervical cancer (in women with HPV), breast cancer (women who drink), and pancreatic cancer.

• Most likely to interact with drugs:

• Constant users of aspirin and antacids may interfere with folate

• “Consumption of folate during pregnancy can prevent neural tube defects.”

Food Sources

• Folate comes from foliage:

• leafy greens, uncooked veggies and fruits, eggs

• Folate anemia:

“Vitamin B12”

• “codependent with folate”

• “by itself, maintains sheaths that protect nerve fibers”

• Deficiency: anemia

• “Comes from animal meat”

• So vegetarians must be cautious

• (Dairy, fortified cereals and soy)

“Vitamin B6”

• “Over 100 body roles”

• Convert one kind of amino acid to another, less abundant one

• Important roles in blood hemoglobin

• Releasing stored glucose from glycogen

• Development of brain and nervous system

Loads of Symptoms

• Deficiency: weakness, insomnia, convulsions, greasy dermatitis

• Possibly also heart disease

• Some take supplements for carpal tunnel and insomnia, but research shows this is ineffective.

Toxicity

• Unlikely from food consumption:

• One capsule can contain 2 g

• It would take almost 3,000 bananas, 1,600 liver portions, or 3,800 chicken breasts for that!

“Biotin and Pantothenic Acid”

• biotin: important for metabolism, gene expression

• pantothenic acid: allows release of energy from food

• Eating normal diets does not put you at risk for deficiency.