B
Complex Vitamins
The B Complex vitamins really function
together as a complex and most health care practitioners would agree
that if you take a B vitamin supplement, you should take them together,
as they are found together, in foods such as nutritional yeast,
whole grains, milk and eggs, nuts, fish, fruits and leafy green
vegetables. B vitamins are important to many processes in the body,
including energy production as well as the metabolism of amino acids,
fats and carbohydrates. They are also vital for a healthy liver,
skin, eyes, hair, mouth and nervous system. The B Complex includes
vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic
acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyano cobalamin), biotin, choline,
folic acid, inositol and PABA.
Vitamin
B Complex Deficiency
Our modern day life contributes to vitamin
B deficiencies in many ways: Refined sugar consumption is now estimated
to be at or over 150 pounds per person per year! Each time you eat
white refined sugar, which is devoid of all vitamins and minerals,
your body has to use up B vitamins from somewhere else in the body
simply to process that sugar. So in fact, it's not just an "empty" calorie,
but a "negative" calorie. Over time, eating refined sugar
can cause a major depletion of B vitamins in your body.
Many recreational and
even prescription drugs including painkillers and anti-inflammatory
drugs, anti-acids, blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering drugs,
anti-depressants, tranquilizers, antibiotics and more also deplete
the body of various B vitamins. So do all the toxins and chemicals
we are exposed to today, in our community's air, in our home building
and furnishing materials, in our cleaning and body care products
and in our foods. Furthermore, our diets, full of refined, processed
foods (not just white sugar, but also white flour and rice products,
contribute to our B deficiency. Stress is another huge factor in
vitamin B depletion.
Symptoms
of Vitamin B Deficiencies
There are many and various symptoms
of B deficiency, including mental problems like depression and anxiety,
chronic fatigue and exhaustion, ADD and it's symptoms, like inability
to concentrate and irritability, insomnia, heart palpitations and
arrythmias and more. If you suspect you have symptoms of B deficiency,
stop eating refined, processed foods like white sugar and flour,
and eat more foods with high B content, like whole grains and leafy
greens. You might also want to supplement with a high quality natural
food source of B vitamins, like Quantum's nutritional yeast or their
Max Stress B Nano-Plex. Whole food based supplements are better
absorbed by your body, even much smaller amounts. Watch out, as
most B vitamins, even those sold in health food stores, are made
from coal tar derivatives, and can be seen by your body as a toxin.
Don't forget if you decide to supplement, it took
you a while to become deficient in B vitamins, and it will take
a while for you to correct the deficiency. In severe cases it can
take up to a year to replenish your B supplies. Even in moderate
cases it can take months of supplementation with a food-based B
complex vitamin before you start feeling better. But if you start
today, you will be on your way to reducing your B vitamin deficiency.
