Sunday, November 22, 2009

What are the eight vitamins that make up vitamin B

Vitamin b is made up of 8 water soluble vitamins that are vital to many important functions of the body.
  • Vitamin b1 (thiamine) converts blood sugar into energy.  
  • Vitamin b2 (riboflavin) helps with the body’s metabolism. 
  • Vitamin b3 (niacin) lowers cholesterol and improves blood circulation 
  • Vitamin b5 (Pantothenic acid) plays an important role in the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates. 
  • Vitamin b6 (Pyridoxine, Pyridoxal, Pyridoxamine) helps balance the body’s sodium and potassium. 
  • Vitamin b7 (biotin) promotes cell growth and the production of fatty acids. 
  • Vitamin b9 (folic acid) produces red blood cells and helps combat anemia. 
  • Vitamin b12 (Cobalamin) helps with the functioning of the brain and nervous system.


Saturday, November 14, 2009

Side Effects of Vitamin B9

As with any vitamin or supplement there is usually side effects if too much is taken. Although there is few associated with vitamin b9 (folic acid) there are some.



The daily minimum requirement of b9 is 400 mcg a day. For pregnant women that number is bumped up to 600. for those are a diagnosed with a b9 folic acid deficiency the range is any where from 400 to a 1000 mcg a day.



The side effects are:
 
  • Nausea  
  • Flatulence 
  • Bitter taste in the mouth 
  • Insomnia 
  • Diarrhea
  • Overall weakness
Can you take too much vitamin b9?


The main problem of taking too much vitamin b9 is that it might mask a vitamin b12 deficiency.





Friday, November 13, 2009

Foods that are a source of Vitamin B9

The benefits of Vitamin b9 are many but what are the sources of it? Vitamin b9 can be found in many food sources as well as vitamin supplements.



Probably the richest source of Vitamin b9 is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, broccoli and collards. In fact uncooked spinach is the greatest source of vitamin b9. Cooked vegetables unfortunately lose much of the folic acid (b9 vitamin) due to the heat.


Organ meats such as liver and kidney provide a good amount of vitamin b9 also, As well as shellfish, pork and poultry. Grains, fortified cereals, nuts have also been found to have vitamin b9 in them. In many countries flour is fortified with folic acid so the general public can benefit from the benefits of vitamin b9.


Large amounts of alcohol consumption may lead to the absorption of folic acids as well as large doses of aspirins.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

10 benefits of Vitamin B9

  1. Good for energy production and red blood cell production. 
  2. Used to create hemoglobin which provides the vital service of providing oxygen to the blood 
  3. It helps with metabolism, which is great for losing weight. 
  4. Skin care also benefits from b9 as well as muscle tone.
  5. B9 helps prevent anemia through building strong cells. 
  6. May be beneficial with emotional problems such as nervousness and depression.
  7. B9 is also important in the production of serotonin.
  8. B9 vitamins is used by pregnant women to prevent birth defects
  9. Folic acid has been shown to help patients with heart disease
  10. Some say that an increase in folic acid helps to deter some forms of cancer.


What is vitamin B9?

Vitamin B9, also known as Folic Acid, helps build blood cells and helps to maintain those same blood cells. The benefits of B9 is even more evident during the early stages of pregnancy.

The B vitamins are crucial in cell metabolism. There are 8 in the Vitamin B group. They are vital group that helps with the nervous system, muscle tone, cell growth as well as metabolism. A deficiency in the B vitamins can cause anemia, heart failure, birth defects, depression and irregular heart beats among other things.

There are foods that are high in B9 vitamins such as leafy vegetables, grain products, broccoli, and liver. Another source of vitamin b9 can also be found in juices. It can be taken orally in a B vitamin complex, which includes all the B vitamins.