The Best Mix of B Vitamins

Busy B's
The B complex is a group of essential vitamins with important roles in the body. Benfotiamine (a bioavailable form of vitamin B1) helps prevent high blood sugar. Riboflavin (B2) has an important role in energy metabolism. Niacin (B3) is the base of NAD and NADH, important coenzymes that are required in cellular respiration and energy production pathways. Coenzyme A is also a critical factor in these pathways, and its production depends on pantothenic acid (B5). P5P (B6) is required in many biological pathways, including amino acid metabolism and neurotransmitter formation.

Methylcobalamin (B12) is important in the central nervous system. Benfotiamine and P5P help prevent the formation of advanced glycation end products which lead to age-related degeneration. Folic acid (5-methyltetrahydrofolate) is needed for red blood cell and DNA formation and is essential during pregnancy.

The Costs of Deficiency
The importance of these vitamins is illustrated by the detrimental health effects that occur when they are deficient. B1 deficiency has been linked to type 2 diabetes. B12 deficiency leads to neurological disorders and anemia. P5P deficiency is associated with depression and neuropathy. Folic acid deficiency is associated with anemia and neural tube defects in infants.

Vitamins in Forms your Body can Use
B vitamins are essential, and it is important to get the right amount in the right forms. Advanced B Complex delivers the biologically active and most efficient forms of these vitamins.

The B-complex is an officially recognized grouping of eight essential vitamins.
Vitamin B1 (a.k.a. thiamin): Thiamin is required to convert glucose and amino acids into energy as well as to develop red blood cells and maintain muscle tissue. Thiamin deficiency has been linked to Type II Diabetes, particularly in the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), which occur at an abnormally high rate among diabetics. Benfotiamine is a form of thiamin that has been shown in studies to be 5 times more bioavailable than regular thiamin. In fact, clinical trials have demonstrated that benfotiamine can improve nerve function by 30% and decrease nerve pain by 50% among diabetics.

Vitamin B2 (a.k.a. Riboflavin): While playing a role in the energy metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, B2 is particularly active in skin and vision health. B2 has long been used as an adjunct in the treatment of neonatal jaundice and has recently been added to anti-migraine protocols as well.
Vitamin B3 (a.k.a. Niacin): The derivatives of B3 form the basis of the oxidized and reduced forms of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+ and NADH), which are essential in the process of cellular respiration and energy formation. B3 also plays an essential role in DNA repair, removing toxic chemicals from the body, and assisting in hormone production. Niacin is also effective at inhibiting the release of low- density lipoproteins (or LDL [bad] cholesterol) into the blood from the liver, making it a treatment of choice for hyperlipidemia.

Most niacin supplements are in nicotinic acid form, which has been associated with a ‘flushing’ effect, an unpleasant warming and itching of the skin when taken at significant doses. Inositol hexanicotinate is a form of niacin that is free of this effect.
Vitamin B5 (a.k.a. Pantothenic acid): B5 is needed to form coenzyme A (later becoming acetyl-CoA), which is central to cellular respiration and energy production. Pantothenic acid must first be converted into pantethine in the body, and the isolation of pantethine in supplement form has been able to produce results in clinical trials not seen with conventional pantothenic acid supplements. These results include lowered total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Vitamin B6 (a.k.a. Pyridoxine): Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate is the active coenzyme form of B6, and is a catalyst for at least 113 known essential enzymatic reactions in the body. These include the metabolism of all endogenous amino acids. P5P is also important for the proper metabolism of essential fatty acids as well as the formation of red blood cells and neurotransmitters, making P5P a factor in optimal cognitive function as well. A deficiency in vitamin B6 can lead to anemia, depression, dermatitis, hypertension, elevated levels of homocysteine and water retention, insomnia, premenstrual tension, irritability, muscle twitching, convulsions, and kidney stones. B6 has been successfully studied for its ability to enhance the immune system and alleviate the symptoms of autism, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), anemia, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), hyperhomocysteinemia and other conditions.
Vitamin B12 (a.k.a. Cyanocobalamin): Vitamin B12 has distinguished itself among the B-vitamins by its specific effects on neurological health. B12 is also very important to the methylation cycle. Methylcobalamin is the active coenzyme form of B12.

Folic Acid: Folic acid is needed for the synthesis of new red blood cells and DNA. A deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia as well as elevated levels of homocysteine. 5-methyltetrahydrofolate is a highly bioavailable, natural form of folate. Biotin is another B vitamin that is involved in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates and fats, and finally, although not strictly a vitamin, choline is an essential nutrient that plays an important role in the structural integrity of cells and in the synthesis of the key neurotransmitter acetylcholine.