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Vitamin B

TL;DR

something.

Water soluble.

  • B1 is Thiamin
  • B2 is Riboflavin
  • B3 is Niacin
  • B5 is Pantothenic Acid
  • B6 is in ZMA
  • B7 is biotin and also known as vitamin H
  • B9 is Folate (active form L-Methylfolate (5-MTHF))
  • B12 is pretty important - apparently 'tightens' skin???

Avoid taking vitamins, minerals (such as calcium) and other supplements for 30-60 minutes after consuming coffee - it contains compounds (polyphenols) that limit the absorption of many micronutrients.

Best taken in the morning as they are 'energising'.

Food Sources

Forms/Types

Two; methylcobalamin and cyanocobalamin. Although they have the same fundamental function in the body, their differences are substantial, especially in absorption and delivery.

Methylcobalamin, the natural form of cobalamin in food, has better bioavailability.

cyanocobalamin must be converted in the body.

Quality

As with all supplements - buyer beware. It's quite common for supplements to be contaminated with a variety of impurities, often in the form of heavy metals, and/or contain far more or less of the ingredients stated on the label. There's no simple rule of thumb to avoid this, such as avoiding cheap or imported products; expensive or well-known brands produced in-country may be just as bad. Ideally you should take some time to find products (if you can) that;

  • have been laboratory tested on behalf of the manufacturer by a reputable body or company that operates in your country or region (here's an example of a Peak Supps creatine supplement available on Amazon in the UK which has been tested by Eurofins: Creatine Monohydrate Powder 1Kg | Pure Micronised | Packaging May Vary - see pictures 3 & 4)
  • in the UK & EU, are manufactured in facilities that meet the minimum standards of good manufacturing practice (GMP) in their production processes (for medicines).12 Facilities are inspected for compliance and manufacturers' product(s) must:
    • be of consistent high quality
    • be appropriate to their intended use
    • meet the requirements of the marketing authorisation (MA) or product specification

Be wary of any manufacturers or brands making claims around these valid but irrelevant standards;

  • HACCP: this standard relates to food safety which indicates that the seller is claiming their supplement is a food; whilst meeting this standard is worthwhile, GMP (detailed above) would be a more appropriate standard
  • ISO22000: same as HACPP
  • ISO9001: this standard is focussed on quality control management systems in the context of managing a business or organisation, not directly on the the quality of the products that business produces (although it may have a beneficial impact)

Dosage - How Much?

Deficiency - Too Little

B12

Deficiency can be detected by testing homocysteine - if it's high it may indicate a deficiency.

UK seem to test for Methylmalonic Acid instead.

It's not good enough to test Active levels of B12 in the blood for some reason.

Toxicity - Too Much

High-dose intake of vitamin B12 may promote the development of glaucoma.3

Side Effects

When to Avoid Use - Interactions/Contraindications

Random Facts

References

  1. Medicines: good manufacturing practice and good distribution practice ↩

  2. Good manufacturing practice ↩

  3. Liu Z, Hu Y, Wang Y, Xu B, Zhao J, Yu Z. Relationship between high dose intake of vitamin B12 and glaucoma: Evidence from NHANES 2005-2008 among United States adults. Front Nutr. 2023 Apr 17;10:1130032. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1130032. PMID: 37139451; PMCID: PMC10149911. ↩