1. Why plural? There are eight.
“The B Vitamins”
Why plural? There are eight.

2. What do they do?
Each B vitamin activates a different enzyme, so they have lots of different jobs.

3. Bs do not supply us with energy.
“They do help us metabolize carbs, lipids, and amino acids.”
So even though they don’t directly contain energy, they help us get it.
The B vitamins help us use the energy in food.

4. “B Deficiencies” “Lack of energy” “nausea” “irritability/depression”
“loss of appetite/weight”
“loss of limb control”
….and about a hundred others!

5. In children, full recovery may be impossible.
In the case of a thiamin deficiency in childhood, permanent brain damage can result.

6. “Individual B Vitamins”
Thiamin
Riboflavin
Niacin
Folate
B6 and B12
Biotin
Pantothenic acid
Tender
Romance
Never
Fails
With 6 or 12
Beautiful
Pearls.

7. “Thiamin” “found on nerve cell membranes”
“So muscles depend on it greatly”
Deficiency: beriberi spread in Asia when rice was cleaned of outer husk

8. “alcohol impairs absorption”
When alcohol abuse causes thiamin deficiency, symptoms are similar to the abuse:
Apathy, irritability, mental confusion, staggering walk
Found in many nutritious foods
Keep empty calories to a minimum, you’ll be okay.

9. “Riboflavin”
“in enriched breads, cereals, pasta, dairy, veggies, meats”
So again, deficiency is rare in the U.S.
“symptoms: cracks at corners of mouth, hypersensitivity to light”

10. “Niacin” Deficiency: pellagra
Killed hundreds of thousands in the South and Midwest in the 1900s
“pellagra: 4 D’s: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, death”
Still occurs in people living in urban slums, particularly with alcohol addiction

11. When sufferers are exposed to light, skin darkens and flakes away, as seen here.

12. Toxicity
niacin flush: dilation of capillaries of skin with intense, painful tingling
Sometimes used as a drug in large amounts to improve blood lipids
Should only be done under doctor’s supervision to prevent:
Low blood pressure, liver injury, vision loss

13. “Folate” “Helps to synthesize (make) DNA when new cells form”
Deficiency symptoms:
anemia, abnormal digestive function, impaired immunity
May also elevate risk of cervical cancer (in women with HPV), breast cancer (women who drink), and pancreatic cancer.

14. Most likely to interact with drugs:
Constant users of aspirin and antacids may interfere with folate
“Consumption of folate during pregnancy can prevent neural tube defects.”

15. Food Sources Folate comes from foliage:
leafy greens, uncooked veggies and fruits, eggs
Folate anemia:

16. “Vitamin B12” “codependent with folate”
“by itself, maintains sheaths that protect nerve fibers”
Deficiency: anemia
“Comes from animal meat”
So vegetarians must be cautious
(Dairy, fortified cereals and soy)

17. “Vitamin B6” “Over 100 body roles”
Convert one kind of amino acid to another, less abundant one
Important roles in blood hemoglobin
Releasing stored glucose from glycogen
Development of brain and nervous system

18. Loads of Symptoms
Deficiency: weakness, insomnia, convulsions, greasy dermatitis
Possibly also heart disease
Some take supplements for carpal tunnel and insomnia, but research shows this is ineffective.

19. Toxicity Unlikely from food consumption: One capsule can contain 2 g
It would take almost 3,000 bananas, 1,600 liver portions, or 3,800 chicken breasts for that!

20. “Biotin and Pantothenic Acid”
biotin: important for metabolism, gene expression
pantothenic acid: allows release of energy from food
Eating normal diets does not put you at risk for deficiency.