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| Vitamin B Complex Requirement |
Last updated: Nov 19, 2009 |
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Vitamin B Complex Requirement |
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Signs, symptoms and indicators | Conditions that suggest it | Contributing risk factors | Recommendations
 Signs, symptoms & indicators of Vitamin B Complex Requirement: | |  | | | | Symptoms - Mind - General |  Spacey/unreal feelings |
Symptoms - Sleep |
Forgetting dreams |
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Conditions that suggest Vitamin B Complex Requirement: | | | | | | Lab Values |  Elevated Homocysteine Levels | Homocysteine imbalances could be an early sign of B-vitamin deficiency inside cells, one that occurs well before vitamin levels actually decline in serum. "Homocysteine may, in fact, be a more sensitive marker of vitamin B12, B6 or folate deficiency and… may precede deficiency of circulating vitamins." [Am J Gastroenterol. 2001 96(7): pp.2143-9] |
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Mental |
 Depression| | If you have very low levels of any of the B-vitamins, one of the first symptoms is depression. Studies show that one out of four people hospitalized for depression is deficient in pyridoxine and cobalamin.
The B-vitamins are crucial in the direct synthesis of the brain neurotransmitters. [J Affect Disord. 1986;10: pp.9-13; Psychosomatics. 1980;21: pp.926-929] Low levels of thiamin (B1) [Psychopharmacology (Berlin) 1997;129: pp.66-71], riboflavin (B2) and pyridoxine (B6) are often found in clinically depressed individuals. [British Journal of Psychiatry 1982;141: pp.271-272] |
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Nervous System |
Neuritis/Neuropathy |
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Risk factors for Vitamin B Complex Requirement: | | | | | | Medications | Birth Control Pill / Contraceptive Issues| | As several B vitamins are affected negatively by birth control pill use, a B complex supplement is advisable. |
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Supplements and Medications |
Counter-indicators:
 Vitamin B complex supplementation
 Multiple vitamin supplement use |
Symptoms - Food - Beverages |
(High) coffee consumption| | Research has shown that drinking coffee causes a significant loss of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B and C, calcium, iron, and zinc. |
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Recommendations for Vitamin B Complex Requirement:
KEY | | Weak or unproven link | | | Strong or generally accepted link | | | Proven definite or direct link | | | Strongly counter-indicative | | | Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative |  | | May do some good |  | | Likely to help |  | | Highly recommended |
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|  Everything not forbidden is compulsory. T.H. White  | |
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| We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true! Robert Wilensky American academic | |
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| A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of a faraway place. A traveler on the plane sees the farmhouse and dreams of home. Carl Burns | |
GLOSSARY
Calcium: The body's most abundant mineral. Its primary function is to help build and maintain bones and teeth. Calcium is also important to heart health, nerves, muscles and skin. Calcium helps control blood acid-alkaline balance, plays a role in cell division, muscle growth and iron utilization, activates certain enzymes, and helps transport nutrients through cell membranes. Calcium also forms a cellular cement called ground substance that helps hold cells and tissues together.
Cobalamin: Vitamin B-12. Essential for normal growth and functioning of all body cells, especially those of bone marrow (red blood cell formation), gastrointestinal tract and nervous system, it prevents pernicious anemia and plays a crucial part in the reproduction of every cell of the body i.e. synthesis of genetic material (DNA).
Iron: An essential mineral. Prevents anemia: as a constituent of hemoglobin, transports oxygen throughout the body. Virtually all of the oxygen used by cells in the life process are brought to the cells by the hemoglobin of red blood cells. Iron is a small but most vital, component of the hemoglobin in 20,000 billion red blood cells, of which 115 million are formed every minute. Heme iron (from meat) is absorbed 10 times more readily than the ferrous or ferric form.
Mineral: Plays a vital role in regulating many body functions. They act as catalysts in nerve response, muscle contraction and the metabolism of nutrients in foods. They regulate electrolyte balance and hormonal production, and they strengthen skeletal structures.
Neuritis: Nerve inflammation, commonly accompanying other conditions such as tendonitis, bursitis or arthritis. Neuritis is usually accompanied by neuralgia (nerve pain).
Neurotransmitters: Chemicals in the brain that aid in the transmission of nerve impulses. Various Neurotransmitters are responsible for different functions including controlling mood and muscle movement and inhibiting or causing the sensation of pain.
Pantothenic Acid: A B-complex vitamin necessary for the normal functioning of the adrenal gland, which directly affects growth. It is also essential for the formation of fatty acids. As a coenzyme, it participates in the utilization of riboflavin and in the release of energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
Pyridoxine: (Vitamin B-6): A B-complex vitamin that plays a role as a coenzyme in the breakdown and utilization of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It facilitates the release of glycogen for energy from the liver and muscles. It also participates in the utilization of energy in the brain and nervous tissue and is essential for the regulation of the central nervous system.
Riboflavin: (Vitamin B-2): A B-complex vitamin that acts as a coenzyme that activates the breakdown and utilization of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is essential for cellular oxidation and necessary for healthy skin and eyes.
Serum: The cell-free fluid of the bloodstream. It appears in a test tube after the blood clots and is often used in expressions relating to the levels of certain compounds in the blood stream.
Thiamine: (Vitamin B-1): A B-complex vitamin that acts as a coenzyme necessary for the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose, which is burned in the body for energy. It is essential for the functioning of the nervous system.
Vitamin B6: Influences many body functions including regulating blood glucose levels, manufacturing hemoglobin and aiding the utilization of protein, carbohydrates and fats. It also aids in the function of the nervous system.
Zinc: An essential trace mineral. The functions of zinc are enzymatic. There are over 70 metalloenzymes known to require zinc for their functions. The main biochemicals in which zinc has been found to be necessary include: enzymes and enzymatic function, protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. Zinc is a constituent of insulin and male reproductive fluid. Zinc is necessary for the proper metabolism of alcohol, to get rid of the lactic acid that builds up in working muscles and to transfer it to the lungs. Zinc is involved in the health of the immune system, assists vitamin A utilization and is involved in the formation of bone and teeth.