“The B Vitamins”

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

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.