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
- 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)
- have been laboratory tested by an independent testing company that ranks product purity and ingredient amount accuracy on behalf of consumers (usually funded by affiliate sales of those products). An example of this is Labdoor.
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.1