The B Complex vitamins are a mixture of eight essential B-vitamins that our bodies require on a daily basis.
They consist of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Pyridoxine, Biotin, Folic Acid and Cyanocobalamin.Deficiency of Thiamin (B1) causes Beriberi.
Symptoms of this disease of the nervous system include weight loss, emotional disturbances, Wernicke’s encephalopathy (impaired sensory perception), weakness and pain in the limbs, periods of irregular heartbeat, and edema (swelling of bodily tissues). Heart failure and death may occur in advanced cases.
Chronic thiamine deficiency can also cause Korsakoff’s syndrome, an irreversible psychosis characterized by amnesia and confabulation. Deficiency of Riboflavin (B2) causes Ariboflavinosis (symptoms may include cheilosis (cracks in the lips), high sensitivity to sunlight, seborrhea, and vascularization of the cornea).
Deficiency of Niacin (B3), along with a deficiency of tryptophan causes Pellagra. Symptoms include aggression, dermatitis, insomnia, weakness, mental confusion, and diarrhea. In advanced cases, pellagra may lead to dementia and death.
Deficiency of Pantothenic Acid (B5) can result in acne and Paresthesia (the feeling of pins and needles or of a limb being "asleep", although it is uncommon.
Deficiency of Pyridoxine (B6) may lead to anemia, depression, dermatitis, high blood pressure (hypertension), water retention, and elevated levels of homocysteine.
Deficiency of Biotin causes hair loss in adults (eating raw egg whites regularly will cause a deficiency of Biotin) and in infants a deficiency of Biotin may lead to impaired growth and neurological disorders.
Deficiency of Folic Acid (B9) results in elevated levels of homocysteine.
Deficiency in pregnant women can lead to birth defects. Supplementation is often recommended during pregnancy. Researchers have shown that folic acid might also slow the insidious effects of age on the brain.
Deficiency of Cyanocobalamin (B12) causes pernicious anemia, memory loss and other cognitive decline. It is most likely to occur among elderly people as absorption through the gut declines with age. In extreme (fortunately rare) cases, paralysis can result.
You would have to consume thousands of calories daily to get the amount of B Complex vitamins to fulfill the needs of your teeth, bones, skin and hair. That’s why I suggest B Complex supplements.
To avoid symptoms of B Complex deficiency (and because many of the B Complex vitamins are dependent on each other) I recommend two to four 100 mg capsules of B Complex vitamins taken throughout the day in divided doses.
B Complex 100 mg, 90 caps (3 Bottles) (Natural Life Foods) $44.50
B Complex 200 mg, 60 tabs (3 Bottles) (Natural Life Foods) $52.50