Daily needs for B vitamins

Recently the United States Department of Agriculture recommended intake amount of each B complex vitamin. Adults should consume at least 13-20 mg of vitamin B6 each day, depending on age and gender. For B12, adults should consume at least 2 mg per day. Pregnant and lactating women need more. Different factors can affect recommended daily consumption, such as an active lifestyle, smoking, drinking alcohol, some chronic health problems, etc, requiring the person to take even larger doses of these vitamins, as well as B1, B2, B3, and B5.

B supplements are available the market in pill, capsule, powder, liquid, sub-lingual, and spray form, as B-complex supplements or separately for vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. There may also be a slight advantage to taking a whole food supplement where the vitamin B complex occurs in a natural balance. 

B vitamin deficiency

Research has shown that a vitamin B deficiency can cause several different diseases such as:

• Anemia
• Dermatitis
• Encephalitis
• Pellagra
• Beriberi

Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, neurological conditions, arteriosclerosis, dementia, Crone’s disease and many others have shown improvement from B supplementation.

Vitamin B6 and B12 get a lot of attention because they support:

• the nervous system
• the metabolism of carbohydrates
• the metabolism of fats
• the metabolism of proteins
• the production of healthy blood cells

Advocates of a balanced diet of fresh foods should note that the B vitamins can lose their potency from food processing and handling. Several named vitamin deficiency diseases may result from the lack of sufficient B-vitamins:

    * Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) deficiency causes Beriberi, a disease with several different symptoms - weight loss, emotional disturbances, Wernicke's encephalopathy, weakness and pain in the limbs, periods of irregular heartbeat, and edema. Heart failure and death may occur in advanced cases. The disease is usually easy to cure with B1 supplements.

    * Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) deficiency causes Ariboflavinosis. Most common symptoms of this disease may include cheilosis, cracks in the lips, high sensitivity to sunlight, angular cheilitis, glossitis, inflammation of the tongue, seborrheic dermatitis or pseudo-syphilis, pharyngitis, hyperemia, and edema of the pharyngeal and oral mucosa.

    * Vitamin B3 (Niacin) deficiency, along with a deficiency of tryptophan causes pellagra, a condition is characterized by 3 Ds: Dermatitis, Dementia and Diarrhea. Other common symptoms include aggression, , insomnia, weakness, mental confusion, etc. In advanced cases, pellagra may lead to dementia and death.

    * Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) deficiency can result in acne and Paresthesia, although it is uncommon. Paresthesias are strange sensory sensations under the skin.

    * Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) deficiency may lead to several different disorders, including anemia, depression, dermatitis, high blood pressure (hypertension) and elevated levels of homocysteine.

    * Vitamin B7 deficiency does not typically cause symptoms in adults, but may lead to impaired growth and neurological disorders in infants.

    * Pregnant women know that Vitamin B9 (Folic acid) deficiency results in elevated levels of homocysteine. Deficiency in pregnant women can lead to birth defects.

    * Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) deficiency causes pernicious anemia, memory loss and other cognitive decline, sometimes even paralysis. It is most likely to occur among elderly people, as absorption declines with age.