VITAMIN OF THE MONTH: B Complex

Melinda Osbourne, TLS & Lifestyle Coach

I wanted to share some information I learned from a seminar I attended this weekend.  A nutritionist who has a very successful practice on Staten Island NY for 22 years gave it. If you are not aware nutritionist’s usually do not support supplementation. They believe you can get all the vitamins you need from your food source.  Karen Marino has been very successful in her practice using the Isotonix supplements & explaining the difference between vitamin pills & Isotonix.  Pills carry a lot of binders & fillers & at times too much of a certain vitamin or mineral and that excess can be stored in your tissues causing some real health issues.  It’s important to have a vitamin with no binder or fillers so if your body doesn’t need it can excrete it.

The vitamin I want to talk about is the Activated Vitamin B Complex.  Some of you are having a hard time recovering from your workouts and a lack of B could very well be the reason. We are all under different kinds of stress and we workout hard at Fit It In so it’s very important to replenish our B vitamins.

What are some symptoms of B deficiency?

• Arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat
• Anemia & low blood count
• Nervousness, fatigue & anxiety
• High blood pressure & clogged arteries
• Carpal tunnel disease 7 sciatica
• Cysts blood clots & aneurisms
• Underlying reason for mental illnesses
• Poor circulation & Reynaud’s disease

Diseases due to B deficiency

• MS is a B12 deficiency
• Parkinson is B6 deficiency
• Reynaud’s is a folic acid & B 12 deficiency
• High homocysteine is folic acid & B 12 deficiency
• Anemia is a B12 deficiency
• Carpal tunnel & sciatica B6 deficiency

Other aliments of B deficiency

• Stents are more than likely needed
• Most hormonal imbalances like infertility & PMS
• Neuropathy & numbness in finger & toes
• Thyroid disease can be associated as well
• Thick blood as well as anemia
• Heart disease & high blood pressure

As you can see, B vitamins play a very important role in our health.  We need to replenish them constantly. Getting them through your food will help some and a good multivitamin will have some of the B’s in there but YOU MUST SUPPLEMENT WITH A GOOD B COMPLEX.

Below is a list of foods that contain b vitamins.

B-Vitamins which include thiamin (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin, pyridoxine (B-6), folacin, cyanocobalamin (B-12), pantothenic acid, and biotin. Many athletes, especially young athletes involved in highly competitive sports, do not realize the impact their diets have on their performance.

Ideally, an athlete should look to consume foods that are rich in B-Vitamins and supplement with a B-Complex vitamin when needed. The B-vitamins are in whole and enriched grains, dark green vegetables, nuts, and many animal and dairy products.

Top Food Sources for B-Vitamins

o   Thiamin Food Sources: Liver, pork, lean meats, wheat germ, whole grains, enriched breads, and cereals.

o   Riboflavin Food Sources: Milk and milk products, liver, enriched breads, and cereals.

o   Niacin Food Sources: Liver, poultry, fish, peanut butter.

o   Pyridoxine Food Sources: Liver, herring and salmon, wheat germ and whole grains, lean meats.

o   Folacin Food Sources: Liver, wheat bran, whole grains, spinach and othergreen leafy vegetables, legumes, orange juice.

o   Cyanocobalamin (B12) Food Sources: Foods of animal origin, specially prepared fermented yeasts, and fortified soy products.

o   Biotin Food Sources: Egg Yolk, liver, and legumes.

o   Pantothenic Acid Food Sources: Eggs, liver, wheat bran, peanuts, legumes, lean meats, spinach, and other vegetables.

Quote from an article on the website - Nutrition For Athletes:

“Athletes and individuals with poor or restricted diets should consider taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement along with a B-Vitamin Complex. Given the above research and the general safety of taking B-Vitamins we think it deserves a second look for athletes who want to enhance their athletic performance.”