Do you have a vitamin B deficiency?

Feeling tired and weak? Many of us live busy, hectic lives that warrant feelings of exhaustion. But if this feeling consumes your daily life, it may be time to examine your vitamin B intake.

B vitamins, also known as energy vitamins, are a group of eight vitamins that help convert food into energy. These vitamins are essential for many reasons. They help reduce stress, anxiety, memory loss, and heart disease risk, to name a few. They also help keep the skin, nervous system and digestive system healthy.

Piedmont Atlanta Hospital dietitian Jennifer Teems, MS, RD, LD, believes most people get enough B vitamins through a balanced diet. But some people need a little extra help.

“The most common vitamin B deficiency is the B12 vitamin and sometimes folate, which is B9,” Teems says. “B12 helps make healthy red blood cells, which keep the nervous system working properly, and folate is crucial in the development of DNA. Folate or folic acid plays a large role in cell growth and tissue formation. ”

Teems always recommends a nutritious diet first, but the following people may benefit from taking a vitamin B supplement. Discuss your individual needs with your physician before you begin taking any new supplement or medication.

• The elderly. As people age, they produce less intrinsic factor. This stomach protein helps absorb vitamin B12 from food. This causes a form of anemia to set in, which leads to fatigue.
• Women of childbearing age. Folate promotes healthy child development. Studies show folic acid can reduce the risk of brain and spinal cord defects by up to 70%. Women should take 0.4 mg daily before conception and during early pregnancy.
• Antacid-takers. Prolonged use of antacids to relieve heartburn or acid reflux can deplete the body of folate and B-12.
• Those with stomach complications. People with celiac disease, Crohn's disease or intestinal surgery or gastric bypass surgery may have difficulty absorbing essential B vitamins.
• Vegetarians. B-12 is found only in animal sources, so strict vegetarians may need a supplement for this important vitamin.

Food sources that contain B vitamins

Pills can help improve a good diet, but Teems warns that they're not an excuse to ignore proper eating habits.

“It is important to remember that supplements are just that – they are there to supplement a diet, not substitute it,” she says.  

Get more B vitamins from your diet with these foods:

• B1 – Potatoes, pork, seafood, liver and kidney beans
• B2 – Enriched bread, dairy products, liver and green leafy veggies
• B1 & B2 - Cereals, whole grains and enriched refined grains
• B3 – Liver, fish, chicken, lean red meat, nuts, whole grains, dried beans and enriched refined grains
• B5 – In most foods
• B6 – Fish, liver, pork, chicken, potatoes, wheat germ, bananas and dried beans
• B7 – Peanuts, liver, egg yolks, bananas, mushrooms, watermelon and grapefruit
• B9 – Green leafy veggies, liver, citrus fruits, mushrooms, nuts, peas, dried beans and wheat bread
• B12 – Eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk and milk products

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