B Complex - Vitamin B Complex by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
How much of a
vitamin B complex do you need? Nobody really knows the answer to this, but my
personal opinion is that for the majority of people, there is no need to take
more than one, two, or three times the RDA for the B complex vitamins on a long
term basis, although higher amounts can be taken on a short term basis.
For an excellent daily multivitamin with vitamin B complex, please visit MultiVit-Rx, a supplement that I formulated and am proud of.
Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Once or twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Click the image to your left which takes you to Physician Formulas web site, and then enter your email address in the box provided.
High Quality products formulated by a medical
doctor
Consider highly popular all natural products formulated by Ray Sahelian, M.D. These include
Mind Power Rx with a dozen
nutrients including the B vitamins pantothenic acid and B12 for better
mental focus, concentration, and mood; Diet Rx which helps you eat less
so you consumer fewer calories; Good Night
Rx for better sleep; Eyesight
Rx for better vision; MultiVit
Rx with B complex, a daily comprehensive multivitamin for more energy and
vitality; Joint Power Rx
for healthy joints; Prostate Power Rx
for a healthy prostate gland; Passion Rx
for sexual enhancement in men and women; and
Veg Rx with Coq10 which supplies the missing nutrients in a
vegetarian diet.
Vitamin B coenzyme complex -
Vitamin B complex supplements are the cheapest, safest, and most reliable way to improve
your wellbeing and overall mental abilities. I recommend a Vitamin B complex to
those who wish to improve their mood, mental clarity, and energy. The effects of
vitamin B complex are subtle, especially in the young who normally have adequate
dietary intake of these nutrients. Improvements in cognitive functions from
vitamin B are particularly noticeable in middle age individuals and the elderly.
Most Vitamin B
Complex supplements have the following:
Vitamin B 1 -- Thiamine Cocarboxylase
Vitamin B 2 -- Riboflavin Flavin Mono Nucleotide
Vitamin B 3 -- Niacin, Nicotinamide NADH
Vitamin B 5 -- Pantothenic acid, Pantothene
Vitamin B 6 -- Pyridoxine Pyridoxal Phosphate
Vitamin B12 -- Cyanocobalamin Dibencozide or Methylcobalamin
Folic Acid
Biotin
Oral or sublingual B complex
It is important to take a B complex sublingually or is oral B complex
pill good enough?
A single-center, double-blinded, randomized controlled study to evaluate the
relative efficacy of sublingual and oral vitamin B-complex administration in
reducing total serum homocysteine levels.
J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Nov;12(9):881-5. Yazaki Y, Chow G, Mattie M.
College of Naturopathic Medicine, University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT.
Several commercial preparations of vitamin B complex supplements have been
marketed intended to reduce elevated levels of homocysteine. Among these
preparations are those that have been specifically designed for sublingual
administration. This study is designed to evaluate the relative efficacy of
sublingual versus orally delivered vitamin B complex in reducing serum
homocysteine levels. Forty-one (41) subjects, between the ages of 50 and 80
years with total serum homocysteine concentrations exceeding 11 micromol/L, were
treated with a six-week regimen of vitamin B complex. Each B complex consisted
of 1000 microg vitamin B(12) (as methylcobalamin), 400 microg folate (as folic
acid), and 5 mg vitamin B(6) (as pyridoxine HCl). Participants in the study were
randomized into two groups designated, retrospectively, as sublingual and PO.
Members of group sublingual were given a sublingually delivered vitamin B
complex and a matching orally delivered placebo. Members of group PO were given
an orally delivered vitamin complex and a matching sublingually delivered
placebo. A statistically significant reduction in homocysteine values was
observed in both groups upon completion of the 6-week protocol. Results: There
was no statistically significant difference in serum homocysteine concentrations
between sublingual vitamin B and oral vitamin B groups either before or after
treatment, substantiating the idea that there is no difference in efficacy
between the two methods of vitamin complex delivery.
Vitamin B Complex questions
Q. Since I have a liver disease I just learned that I'm not supposed to take
niacin or niacinamide. Is there a vitamin B complex formula that doesn't have those?
A. As far as we know, vitamin B complex supplements all contain niacin or niacinamide since it is one of the major B vitamins.
Q. Could you
please tell me if you are aware of any times when someone takes vitamin b
complex that they also experience weight gain?
A. We have not heard this before regarding vitamin b
complex and weight gain, but that does not mean it is not possible.
Q. Thank you so
much for the vast amount of helpful information you make available on your
website. With that said I have a question about b-complex vitamins. I recently
found a b-complex vitamin which has reasonable amounts of each vitamin.. It is
B-Right by Jarrow Formulas. This product comes in a capsule....I would like to
take about half of the dose daily. Do you think that if I open the B complex
capsule and only take half of the contents that i can be reasonably sure that I
am getting around half the dose of each vitamin? I want to keep the ratio of
each vitamin the same as to not create an imbalance.
A. Just because a company has put together a group of vitamins
together as a B complex formula -- such as the B-Right by Jarrow Formulas --
does not mean that this combination is what your body needs. As a rule I think
most B complex formulas have too high amounts of these B vitamins, and therefore
it is a good idea to take less. It is impossible to know for sure what the ideal
B complex combination would be for yohur body since your diet is different than
other people's diet and the type of foods you consume are likely to change over
time.
Q. My boyfriend
is taking SAME-e and B-complex vitamins, is there another type of Sex enhancer
supplement that would be safe to take with them. I was interested with
Passion-Rx but the web site did not recommend to take it with SAM-e. So, what is
an alternative natural supplement that has the same effect that Passion-Rx
produces would you suggest?
A. SAM-e is a potent supplement that is best used by itself since
it can cause side effects of overstimulation, restlessness, and insomnia if
combined with a high dose B vitamin complex or herbs that have a stimulant
nature. Almost all herbs used for sexual enhancement can cause stimulation,
therefore we suggest not taking SAM-e the same day as these libido herbs.