The name ‘Vitamin B’ actually represents a series of eight vitamins and each vitamin in the Vitamin B complex helps your body in its own way.
Thiamine
This Vitamin B component is important to your metabolism because it helps break down carbohydrates into glucose, which then provides energy for your body to use as you go about your daily life and activities. Thiamine also aids in the proper functioning of your nervous system. You can find this kind of Vitamin B in whole grain products like cereal and bread, red meat, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, legumes, sweet corn, brown rice, berries, yeast, the germ and husks of wheat, and nuts.
Riboflavin
Riboflavin is a Vitamin B that also helps in the breakdown of carbs, as well as fats and proteins. It is an essential part of the maintenance of the skin and mucous membranes, the cornea of the eye, and the body’s nerve sheaths. This Vitamin B takes a large role in oxidation reduction reactions, during which additional oxygen or hydrogen is added to a substance to help in the prevention of harmful chemical reactions. Riboflavin Vitamin B is present in whole grain items, milk, meat, eggs, cheese, and peas.
Niacin
Also known as nicotinic acid or nicotinamide, this Vitamin B assists the metabolism of the food you eat, and keeps your skin, nerves, and gastrointestinal tract healthy. Niacin is also an important factor in oxidation reduction reactions. You can find niacin Vitamin B in protein-rich foods like meat, fish, brewer’s yeast, milk, eggs, legumes, potatoes, and peanuts.
Pyridoxine
Pyridoxine (also called pyridoxal phosphate or pyridoxamine) is another Vitamin B that assists the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It is also used in the production of red blood cells and in the metabolism of amino acids (the building blocks of protein). This Vitamin B can be found in foods such as liver, other organ meats, brown rice, fish, butter, wheat germ, whole grain cereals, and soybeans.
Cyanocobalamine
Again, this Vitamin B is necessary for processing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, as well as to make all the blood cells in your body. It also helps maintain nerve sheaths and DNA. Cyanocobalamine is not present in any plant food sources but is mostly produced by bacteria and can be found in liver, meat, egg yolks, poultry, and milk.
Folic Acid
This is the Vitamin B you have probably heard of most often. Along with Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C, folic acid helps process proteins and form hemoglobin, a transporter of oxygen and carbon dioxide in red blood cells. Folic acid is present in yeast, liver, green vegetables, whole grain cereals, and more.
Pantothenic Acid
Pantothenic acid is used in the breakdown of carbs, lipids, and some amino acids, as well as to synthesize biochemical reactions in the body. This type of Vitamin B is in meats, legumes, and whole grain cereals. Bacteria in your intestines also produce pantothenic acid.
Biotin
This Vitamin B operates as a coenzyme in carboxylation reactions, which aid many bodily functions. You can find biotin in beef liver, egg yolk, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, cauliflower, and mushrooms.
By Monica Drusch