B Vitamins

Question: Why is B Vitamins and magnesium not to be taken if planning a pregnancy? I have recently been recommended B Vitamins by my nutritionist but i am planning a pregnancy and the product info suggests that it is NOT to be used if planning a pregnancy. Please check out the product on http://shop.biocare.co.uk/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=17330 and let me know what you think....

Answer: B vitamins prevent neural tube defects - spinal bifida and hydroencephalie. Listen to the nutritionist.

Question: What are the B vitamins maximum dosages that are safe? I understand the B Vitamins are excellent for methylation among other things. I was wondering if anyone knew what the maximum safe levels of each of the b vitamins are? I know through testing that I dont absorb ebough of some of the b's so I am looking to get to the highest dosages that are safe) Thanks!!!! S.

Answer: There are a couple aspects to this. First and foremost, B Vitamins are water soluble... that means that it's not only very difficult to overdose (short of swallowing a whole bottle's worth at once), but your body will also only absorb what it needs and excrete out the rest of it. Second, the "maximum effective dose" will really vary depending on your system as different people can use different amounts. With all that being said, generally a B-50 or B-100 complex is more than sufficient for B Vitamin levels, but I wouldn't go above what you can find in standalone supplements of each individual B Vitamin (eg. 100 mg of B1, 500-1,000 mcg of B-12, etc) to make sure you don't get more than you can use. Good luck and I hope I helped!

Question: How long does it take your body to absorb B vitamins? I think I need more B vitamins and am wondering how long they take to absorb into your system after taking them. If you are deficient, do you need to take them for a while to build them up or is the effect right away?

Answer: it happens really quickly, about 30 minutes, your body will pee out what you don't need. your body doesn't store b vitamins as it is water soluble, you will probably need to take them long term, especially if you are a vegetarian or vegan.

Question: what B Vitamins can i take to make my hair grow faster? Hi People. Just wondering what B Vitamins or any other Vitamins i can take to encourage my hair to grow a bit faster, i have four weeks to get it as long as i can, its very short at the moment but like i say four weeks! to try everything to make it grow. cheers!

Answer: Its only going to grow about 1 cm max but it will be at its healthiest if you include these in your diet (or you can take supplements if you like) Vitamin A B vitamins Biotin Folic acid Vitamin E

Question: Is it possible to take an overdose of B vitamins? I usually include a multi-B vitamin tablet every morning, along with other vitamins. But sometimes the B makes me feel nauseous and kind of jumpy. Those Bs can contain up to 6000% of the RDA in a specific vitamin, like B6. I'm a 40 year old male, physically active and in better health than most my age. So I'm wondering if I need to lower the dose, or omit it altogether.

Answer: You may not need vitamin B in your diet as much as you think. A multivitamin tablet gives you a standard percentage nutritionist think you need, but really you may not need it at all. Try lowering your intake of vitamin B, if nothing changes, omit if for a while and compare the changes. If you do not see any changes, do not hesitate to see your doctor, anything in excess can be harmful to your body. Try buying separate vitamins by guiding yourself with the multivitamin you are already taking. It would also be beneficial that you let your doctor/nutritionist know what is going on and if he/she recommends you taking something instead. Always be careful with concentrated vitamins and minerals because that standard tablet size may not be the correct intake for you, especially when you are taking in a combination of multiple vitamins. Also, try replacing your vitamin B intake from tablet to natural source, or a different brand, one with all natural properties, maybe it is a chemical in the vitamin tablet that is causing a reaction in your stomach.

Question: what specific meaning do the numbers of b vitamins have? why is a certain b vitamin named 1 while another 12? is it because of structure? how do those b-vitamins that aren't essentially to human diets fit in the number line of b-vitamins?

Answer: When vitamin B was first discovered, scientists thought there was only one type of vitamin B (same as vitamin C). But later it was found there were actually several different types, and people just started to number them. The specific number does not really refer to a specific feature of their chemical structure, but each number is a different category. They just started to number them. First, there were 12 different vitamin B's but at some point people realized that certain vitamin B's were not essential for the human body. So some numbers (B4, B8) are now no longer called Vitamins. Currently, there are only 8 vitamin B's. Here is a website listing the different types and what they do: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_b

Question: Does anyone know how and when you're supposed to take your B vitamins? The bottle just says once daily? I just bought Folic Acid (800 mcg), B-50, and Biotin (1000 mcg). Does anyone have any recommendation on how and when to take these vitamins and with what foods/drinks? Any help would be appreciated. I'm taking them to improve my hair, skin and nails and any additional tips or information would be extremely healthy!

Answer: Anytime, but don't take more than it says. There have been studies that show that excessive amounts of B vitamins can lead to diabetes. Try gelatin capsules, they are good for all that stuff.

Question: Is it dangerous to get too much B vitamins? I stopped taking my B-Complex vitamins because I began taking a multi viatimin--which has some B vits in it already. Am wanting to begin B-Complex again. Could getting too much of this vitamin have any ill effects?

Answer: No. Since B Vitamins are water-soluble, any excess is just passed from your body in your urine. It's the fat-soluble vitamins you have to be careful with -- they can build up in your fat cells.

Question: Do vitamins like especially b vitamins, etc work well for the body if the body does not intake any protein? If such an experiement was conducted, what possible results do you beleive would exist: If the body took in plenty , or ample B vitamins, and other vitamins, but restricted protein ?

Answer: NOT GOOD! You need a balance of everything. You need protein (meat/eggs/etc). You absolutely need it, regardless of the amount of Vitamin B vitamins you consume. It's necessary.

Question: Why are many cereals fortified with B Vitamins? I often hear that eating meat gives you all the B vitamins you need, so why are cereals fortified with the stuff ? It can't be for veggies or vegans, thier population is too small to warrant a general cereal including a supplement specifically for them. I'm confused and wondering if the nutritional value of meat is not all its cracked up to be if the food industry feel the need to fortify the food.

Answer: And if a standard meat eating diet is, like, automatically healthy and balanced, why is all the milk fortified with vitamin D?

Question: Why is it important to consume B vitamins every day, but not A vitamins? a. Vitamin A can be stored by the body, but B vitamins cannot. b. Vitamin A is water-soluble, and B vitamins are fat-soluble. c. The body needs much larger amounts of B vitamins than vitamin A. d. B vitamins are an essential nutrient, and vitamin A is not. e. The body requires B vitamins, but vitamin A is just an "extra."

Answer: The answer is A. Vitamin A is fat-soluble; it can be stored in your body for a long period of time. If you have too much Vitamin A in your body, vitamin A toxicity can result. Vitamin B is water-soluble; it cannot be stored in your body for a long period of time. You can easily remove Vitamin B from your body through urination.

Question: How can you get B vitamins instead of vitamin pills? Studies suggest that canker sores are more common in people with low levels of B vitamins. I keep having canker sores and I'm afraid that a whole crop of them might form on the back of my throat (yikes)

Answer: Instead of taking vitamin pills, there are many different kinds of food you can eat to supplement your diet with more Vitamin B: -oats -barley -wheat bran -avocado (very good for you) -salmon (also very good) -Brazil nuts (also very good) -leafy green vegetables -beans and peas If you find it's not helping, you may want to try a b-complex vitamin. They are in much higher doses than the amount of Vitamin B found in food.

Question: what are the characteristics of b vitamins? by looking at the structurual formula of a b vitamin, how would you be able to tell it is one. in other words what do all b vitamins have in common based on structual formula?

Answer: They are all heterocyclic nitrogen compounds.

Question: Vegans, how do you get all of your B Vitamins? I've done a little research on the different B vitamins that are essential to humans and why they are important. It seems that they are easiest to find in meat and eggs but since I eat neither, I was wondering how other vegans get their daily doses of the B vitamins? Do you take you take supplements or are they in vegetables too (and if so, what kind)?

Answer: I get them from food.... They may seem easier to find in animal products to you since you eat them, but knowing about real (vegan) foods we learn the better and mostly easier sources to get them. I do not take supplements, many vegans I know do not. And there are vegetables and other plant based foods that have the b vitamins. Vitamin B's comes from a number of natural sources, including potatoes, bananas, lentils, chili peppers, tempeh, nutritional yeast, brewer's yeast, molasses, beer, Marmite, & energy drinks. More detailed info: B1 (Thiamine) - breakfast cereals, nuts, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, peas, beans and yeast extracts such as Vegemite. B2 (Riboflavin) - breakfast cereals, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, mushrooms, almonds, soybeans, avocados, and yeast extract. B3 (Niacin) - nuts and seeds, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, breakfast cereals, yeast extract, avocados, peas, mushrooms, and other vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts and corn. B5 (Pantothenic acid) - peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, wheat germ, avocados and sunflower seeds. B6 (Pryroxidine) - nuts, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, avocados, and soybeans. B7 (Biotin) - a wide range of fruit and vegetables. B9 (Folic acid) - almonds, peanuts, black-eyed beans, soybeans, wheat germ, and green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts and asparagus. B12 (Cobalamin) - produced by a bacteria, and found in such products as fortified cereals, fortified soy/rice milks, meat substitutes/soy analogs, some brands of fortified brewer's & nutritional yeast (such as Red Star & Twinlab). Sea vegetables like seaweed, dried nori, & spirulina, may contain vitamin B12, but their content varies and may be unreliable, lactic acid fermented products such as like tempeh, msio, beer & sauerkraut, but their content as well varies and may be unreliable. Marmite, So Delicious Dairy Free Yogurt, Manging Star foods, and other vegan store bought foods also contains B12 (Cyanocobalamin).

Question: How many different B vitamins are there? And what do they do? What are some of the uses that the body has for the B vitamins?

Answer: There are eight. - Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - Vitamin B3 (niacin, includes nicotinic acid and nicotinamide) - Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) - Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine) - Vitamin B7 (biotin), also known as vitamin H - Vitamin B9 (folic acid), also, vitamin M - Vitamin B12 (various cobalamins; commonly cyanocobalamin in vitamin supplements) The B vitamins often work together to deliver a number of health benefits to the body. B vitamins have been shown to: * Support and increase the rate of metabolism * Maintain healthy skin and muscle tone * Enhance immune and nervous system function * Promote cell growth and division — including that of the red blood cells that help prevent anemia. * Reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer, when consumed in food, but not when ingested in vitamin tablet form. Together, they also help combat the symptoms and causes of stress, depression, and cardiovascular disease.

Question: Does the B Complex Vitamin include all of the B vitamins? I need to know if this vitamin include all of the B vitamins. If not, which ones don't they include? I wouldn't want to take to much you know! Thanks!

Answer: It should, but not all of the vitamins on the market are equal... some may be from lower quality companies that don't have them all and some might be complexes the purposely leave some out. In a complete B Complex, you'll have all 11 B Vitamins: Thiamin (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Pyridoxine (B6), Cyanocobalamin or Methylcobalamin (B12), Folic Acid, Biotin, Choline, Inositol, and PABA (Para-AminoBenzoic Acid). I hope I helped!