Know your Vitamins well !
WHAT ARE VITAMINS?
Vitamins are non-energy yielding organic compounds, essential for normal human metabolism, that must be supplied in small quantities in the diet.
The importance of vitamins as drugs is primarily in the prevention and treatment of deficiency diseases.
Vitamin deficiencies occur due to inadequate intake, malabsorption, increased tissue needs, increased excretion, certain genetic abnormalities and drug- vitamin interactions.
Vitamins, as a class, are over-promoted, over- prescribed and over-used. Myths like, ‘vitamins energize the body’, ‘any physical illness is accompanied by vitamin deficiency’, ‘vitamin intake in normal diet is precariously marginal’, ‘vitamins are harmless’, are rampant.
Vitamins are traditionally divided into two groups:
(a) Fat-soluble (A, D, E, K): These (except vit K) are stored in the body for prolonged periods and are liable to cause cumulative toxicity after regular ingestion of large amounts. Some interact with specific cellular receptors analogous to hormones.
(b) Water-soluble (B complex, C): These are meagerly stored: excess is excreted with little chance of toxicity. They act as cofactors for specific enzymes of intermediary metabolism.
WHAT ARE B COMPLEX VITAMINS?
The body does not store B vitamins well, and the need for them is increased by stress, smoking, use of alcohol and drugs, unhealthy dietary practices, shift work, illness, and demanding travel schedules.
The B vitamins play important roles in energy production, the synthesis and repair of DNA and RNA, and carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism.
Vitamin B Food Sources
Animal-derived foods and meat are major sources of several of the B vitamins, for example: poultry, liver, fish, shellfish, and eggs. Vitamin B12, for instance, is only found in animal products. Plant sources of B vitamins include whole grains, potatoes, beans, and lentils. Green leafy vegetables are particularly high in folate (vitamin B9), while biotin (vitamin B7) is found in small amounts in a wide variety of foods, including eggs, pork and leafy greens.
Vitamin B Deficiency
Even in developed countries it is possible to become deficient in one or more of the B vitamins, which can result in deficiency symptoms or disease. For example, a vitamin B6 deficiency can cause depression and swelling of the tongue, while a vitamin B12 deficiency can produce a type of anemia, fatigue, and memory and cognitive impairment. Symptoms of biotin deficiency, although rare, might include dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss, and fatigue.
Too Much Vitamin B
Although most B vitamins are eliminated in the urine, if taken in excess some can present problems. For example,
1.High doses of niacin (vitamin B3) – more than 2-3 grams per day – is sometimes used to help lower cholesterol, yet can cause nausea, jaundice, and elevated liver enzymes. These typically disappear once niacin is discontinued.
2.Too much pyridoxine (vitamin B6) can be toxic, resulting in numbness, tingling, and even nerve damage. The current recommended maximum daily intake for B6 is 100 mg.
Vitamin B Supplements
If you choose to supplement, there is no reason not to take the whole complex of eight B vitamins in supplement form, but also no reason to take them apart from a daily multivitamin / multimineral supplement. Multivitamins commonly contain the full spectrum of B vitamins.
The Vitamin B list
B1 Thiamine
B2 Riboflavin
B3 niacin
B5 Pantothenic acid
B6 Pyridoxine
B7 Biotin
B9 Folic acid
B12 Cobalamin
DISCLAIMER:Consult with your doctor before beginning any new supplements.
Sources:
B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy-A Review, by David O. Kennedy, Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 8ST, UK; david.kennedy@northumbria.ac.uk Published: 28 January 2016
2. Essentials of Medical PharmacologyAuthorKD Tripathi
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