By Nutritional Therapist Sarah Brereton

We’ve all heard about B Vitamins.  There are many different B vitamins, each of which have different functions in many systems in the body but are also capable of working together in some instances. Overall B vitamins are important for making sure the body’s cells are functioning properly. They help the body convert food into energy (metabolism), create new blood cells, and maintain healthy skin cells, brain cells, and other body tissues.

The key B vitamins include: vitamin B1, B2, B6, B7 (Biotin), B9 (folate) and B12.

Like Vitamin C, B vitamins must be taken daily as they are water soluble. This means we cannot store and build up reserves of these vitamins for a ‘rainy day’, we need a continuous supply for our daily bodily processes.  Any extra B vitamins we have left over after each day is excreted and we need to quickly replenish them. Otherwise, we will notice deficiency symptoms quite quickly. These symptoms can vary but include issues with normal energy yielding metabolism, lack of healthy hair, tiredness and fatigue, and hormonal imbalance.

B vitamins can be sourced from similar nutrient dense foods but there are some specific one. We can have a look at the sources below:

• Vitamin B1: whole grains and fortified bread, cereal, pasta, and rice, pork, trout
• Vitamin B2: organ meats, fortified breakfast cereals, oatmeal, yogurt and milk, and almonds
• Vitamin B6: poultry, fish (tuna & salmon), organ meats, chickpeas, potatoes
• Vitamin B7 (biotin): organ meats, eggs, salmon, pork, beef, sunflower seeds
• Vitamin B9 (folate): dark green leafy vegetables, beef liver, avocado, eggs, beans
• Vitamin B12: beef liver, salmon, beef, milk and yogurt and plant sources like kale. You may need to get vitamin B-12 from supplements or fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast if you are on a meat free diet.

It’s important to be aware that certain factors can affect our absorption rate of water-soluble nutrients such as B vitamins from foods.

We really need to be careful how we treat these delicate B vitamins as they are heat sensitive. Up to 60% of Vitamin B1, and other B vitamins may be lost when meat is simmered and its juices run off. However, when the liquid containing these juices is consumed in homemade gravy for example, 100% of the minerals and 70–90% of B vitamins are retained¹.

Steam fish and green vegetables to retain these important nutrients like B vitamins.

A number of factors can affect the amount of B vitamins we absorb and therefore require on a daily basis. Digestive issues, bacterial overgrowth, the contraceptive pill and certain antibiotics can all have an impact. Stress also increases our requirements for a higher level of these busy B vitamins!

If you feel you might not be getting enough B vitamins through diet alone, you could consider taking a supplement which contains B vitamins in highly absorbable forms, along with other key important nutrients. Cleanmarine For Women (now known as Cleanmarine PeriodPlan) contains a wide range of B vitamins, all of which play different roles in the body. Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 work to support normal energy yielding metabolism. Vitamin B2, and B6 contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Vitamin B2 contributes to the regulation of normal healthy skin. Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity and along with vitamins B1 and B12 it also contributes to normal psychological function.

Ref- (1) USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors. Release 6. Nutrient Data Laboratory. Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Centre (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2007.