What Exactly Are the B Complex Vitamins?

B vitamins are found in whole unprocessed foods including grains, meats, and vegetables. In general, the more processed the food the lower the content of all the B vitamins. A daily multivitamin is a great way to ensure that you are getting all the B complex vitamins your body needs on a daily basis.

One of the most commonly recognized benefits of the B vitamins is as an energy booster. Many popular energy drinks that claim a natural boost of energy without sugar or caffeine are
high in B vitamin complex.

The B group of vitamins is probably the most commonly misunderstood of the vitamins, simply because the B vitamins are several distinct vitamins lumped together. Additionally, the fact that the vitamins in this group are known by both letter, number, and name is confusing to many people. Here is a quick list of the B vitamins found in the Vitamin B complex group.

• B1 : thiamin

• B2 : riboflavin

• B3 : niacin

• B5 : pantothenic acid

• B6 : pyridoxine

• B7 : biotin

• B9 : folic acid

• B12 : cobalamin

You should note that there are four additional substances in the B complex group, though they are not known as vitamins. They are choline, lipoic acid, PABA, and inositol. When you purchase B complex vitamins, these four will not be included. Furthermore, one or two of the recognized B vitamins may also be omitted. B5 and B7 are so widely available in food that most people get plenty of these vitamins even if they aren’t eating a healthy diet.

One thing that all the B vitamins share is that they are water-soluble. Any excess vitamin B is not stored but rather is excreted in the urine. That means that all the B vitamins need to be constantly replenished from our diets.

If you have questions about your current nutrition and supplement plan, just ask. Hogan Spine & Rehab is here to help!