B Complex Vitamins
Q: Are the B complex vitamins really needed?
A: In one word… YES! This category is made up of the fundamental B vitamins which are mandatory for human life. If you aren’t consuming enough of them naturally (or your body isn’t absorbing enough of it) then you will need to get B complex vitamins from another source.
Which B vitamins are included in the complex?
Did you know there are dozens of different B vitamins? However many of them appear to have no nutritional value. Under the basic definition, the complex is the category of the eight “B’s” which our bodies must have; B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. Don’t be shocked if you haven’t heard of some of these numbers, because many are more commonly known by different names – i.e. folic acid is actually B9. Each of them serve various purposes but many of their benefits overlap, too. There are roughly twenty of vitamins. In addition to these 8, there are roughly 15 to 20 other known (or suspected) vitamins in this family, but scientists have concluded they don’t serve any nutritional purpose for humans.
Are B complex vitamin supplements required?
If you have a balanced diet and have a normal functioning body then you probably get all of the essential B’s and a supplement is not required. But some (specifically B12) only come from animal proteins, so if you are a vegan than you cannot get them without taking a supplement of some type. So in a nutshell, the chances are that most of us get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) naturally. But, there is quite a bit of research out there that appears to suggest that intake greater than that amount may offer additional benefits for some B vitamins.
What are the alleged benefits of extra B vitamins?
Because some vitamin B’s are necessary for energy production in your cells, they are most known for their energy benefits. It’s also interesting when you consider that every one of us has a different absorption rate and requirement for the B complex vitamins.
Therefore, even though the base requirement is the recommended daily allowance, it’s a known fact that some people need and benefit from more than that amount. For example, those whom do not absorb the average amount and those whom simply need more. This is why those whom are involved in sports and certain physical activities that have above-average energy needs are often given a B12 patch, supplement, or shot.
