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Taking care of your health requires a comprehensive approach, focusing on regular movement, eating well, and much more. But research has found that there’s a cluster of vitamins, specifically B vitamins, that can have a big impact on your disease risk and brain health.
Called the B vitamin complex, it’s a collection of eight different vitamins. Each B vitamin does something slightly different, but a series of studies suggests that B vitamins can influence your cognitive health, cardiovascular health, and more.
Meet the experts: Irwin H. Rosenberg, M.D., nutrition researcher and professor emeritus at Tufts University; Jessica Cording, R.D., C.D.N., is a dietitian and health coach, and author of The Little Book of Game-Changers; Keri Gans, M.S., R.D., is the author of The Small Change Diet; Clifford Segil, D.O., a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA
B vitamins tend to be lumped together, and with that, many people don’t completely understand what they do and why they’re important. Here’s what dietitians, a neurologist, and a nutrition researcher want you to know about the different B vitamins, plus what they do in the body.
What are B vitamins?
B vitamins are a group of vitamins. “Vitamin B refers to a group of eight water-soluble vitamins that include B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12, each playing a different role in our bodies,” says Keri Gans, M.S., R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. “Together they are known as B-complex vitamins.”
Overall, B vitamins support the process your body uses to get or make energy from the food you eat, explains Jessica Cording, R.D., C.D.N., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. They also help to form red blood cells. While you can get B vitamins from food, they also come in supplement form, Cording points out.
What does each B vitamin do?
Each B vitamin impacts your health in slightly different ways. Here’s what dietitians want you to keep in mind.
B1
Also known as thiamine, B1 helps to support the growth, development, and function of your cells, Cording says. This B vitamin specifically helps your cells turn carbs into energy. “Thiamine seems to have effects on the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system,” says Irwin H. Rosenberg, M.D., nutrition researcher and professor emeritus at Tufts University. “It also seems to have secondary effects on the heart.”
Having enough B1 in your diet may help support blood sugar management and lower your risk of brain disorders like Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Research suggests a link between lower levels of thiamine and type 2 diabetes, but it’s not clear if having low levels of B1 actually causes the condition.
B2
Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, helps with your body’s production of energy, along with the function, growth, and development of cells, per the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Riboflavin can also help your body break down fats and medications, Cording says.
“Riboflavin is often used to treat migraine headaches in patients who want to avoid prescription medication trials,” says Clifford Segil, D.O., a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. It can also decrease blood pressure in people with a certain genetic variation, potentially lowering the risk of stroke.
“More recently, we and others have noticed that low riboflavin was associated with some changes in both the nervous system and blood pressure,” Dr. Rosenberg says. “There is an association between low riboflavin and hypertension.”
B3
Niacin, or vitamin B3, also works to support the function of your brain, nerves, and skin.
High doses of niacin may lower levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol and raise HDL “good” cholesterol levels, per the NIH. But taking these high doses can cause flushing, burning, tingling, and itching sensations, making it uncomfortable for people to use to lower cholesterol.
There may be a role for niacin in skin cancer, though. “Niacin seems to protect against the way the skin can respond to the damaging effects of the sun,” Dr. Rosenberg says. “It may be helpful in preventing some skin cancers related to sun exposure.” However, he says, that’s still being explored.
B5
Also known as pantothenic acid, this vitamin works to help the body break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, Cording says.
Research has looked into the possibility of vitamin B5 reducing levels of lipids (fat in the blood) in people who have high cholesterol and similar conditions, and the NIH says it may help. Some studies have shown that vitamin B5 may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in some doses.
B6
Vitamin B6 supports metabolism and the immune system, according to Cording. It may also help boost brain health.
Vitamin B6 may play a role in reducing bodily inflammation, which is linked to a host of serious diseases, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, and arthritis. But research into this is ongoing, per the NIH.
Lack of B6 is linked with elevated levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood, Dr. Rosenberg points out. “Elevated homocysteine is associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular disease, and especially dementia,” he says. “Vitamin B6 plus folic acid and B12 are the three vitamins that are necessary to treat and lower blood homocysteine when it’s elevated. This is a promising and underutilized approach to [slowing] age-related cognitive decline.”
B7
Biotin helps the body break down nutrients and can support metabolism, Cording says. The vitamin is usually linked to support for healthy skin, hair, and nails, especially in supplements. But the NIH points out that more research is needed.
Dr. Rosenberg agrees. “Biotin deficiency may be related to some skin conditions and there’s even been some suggestion that it may help with some skin conditions—but that association is weak,” he says.
B12
Vitamin B12, a.k.a. cobalamin, helps support energy production, Cording says. It also helps support blood and nerve cells. “It’s really involved in so many aspects of our well-being,” Cording says.
Vitamin B12 is being researched as a potential way to lower the risk of cognitive decline in older adults. (The NIH says that more research is needed.) However, having low levels of vitamin B12 may lead to neurological changes. “Vitamin B12 is part of the routine reversible memory loss lab work every patient being evaluated for dementia should obtain when they see a neurologist or their primary care physician,” Dr. Segil says.
Folic acid
Vitamin B9 helps to support the formation of red blood cells and DNA, as well as cell growth. Folic acid also plays a role in brain development during pregnancy.
Supplementing with folic acid may lower the risk of stroke, according to the NIH.
Should I take a B vitamin?
It’s important to point out that you can get B vitamins through food. These are the most common sources of B vitamins, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine:
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Fish
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Fortified cereals and breads
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Poultry
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Meat
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Eggs
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Dairy products
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Leafy green vegetables
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Beans
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Peas
While you can also get B vitamins by taking a supplement, Cording says it’s best to check in with a healthcare provider first. (They’ll likely want to give you a blood test to see whether you’re deficient in anything and by how much.) “There are certain times where individually supplementing with one or a few of the B vitamins might be indicated,” Cording says. “But check with your healthcare provider.”
Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. Be cautious about taking dietary supplements if you are pregnant or nursing. Also, be careful about giving supplements to a child, unless recommended by their healthcare provider.
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