Why Are B Vitamins Important?
Why are B vitamins so important to maintaining balanced health? The healthiest way to insure that you’re getting all eight B vitamins is to eat a varied diet that includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, healthy fats, and protein.
Find out why we need all the B vitamins – from vitamin B1 to vitamin B12 – to maintain lifelong optimum health in this short video from the DrWeil.com editorial team.
Why Are B Vitamins Important
Video Transcript
Vitamin B1, also called thiamin, plays an important role in nerve transmission. It also helps helps support:
- The nervous system
- Proper muscle function
- Carbohydrate metabolism
- Healthy digestion.
Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, mobilize other B vitamins. It is also required for:
- Normal cell growth and function
- Energy production.
Vitamin B3, also known as niacin:
- Is important for heart health.
Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is important for the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats:
- It is also essential for breaking down fatty acids and keeping your skin healthy.
Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is important for keeping older individuals’ immune systems functioning:
- It also helps in the production of neurotransmitters.
Vitamin B7, also called biotin, has a variety of applications – it can help:
- Decrease insulin resistance
- Address high blood glucose levels
- Maintain healthy hair and nails
- Improve energy metabolism and glucose tolerance.
Vitamin B9 is commonly called folate or folic acid:
- It is essential for human growth and development, which is why pregnant women need to make sure they get enough vitamin B9 during pregnancy.
- Vitamin B9 also encourages proper brain and normal nerve functioning, and may help reduce blood-levels of the amino acid homocysteine.
Vitamin B12, also called cyanocobalamin or cobalamin, aids in the production of RNA, DNA, and neurotransmitters:
- It also affects the development and maintenance of red blood cells and nerve cells.
