Health & Fitness

Importance of vitamin B in metabolism

Long back Vitamin B was considered as a single vitamin.  Researchers have proved that vitamin B is not a single vitamin, but it has 8 distinctive subgroups and each of them are named as vitamin B1, vitamin B2 etc. Details of functions performed by each of the constituents and other important information are discussed below.

Vitamin B1

Medical name of vitamin B1 is Thiamine.  This vitamin is an essential component for the healthy functioning of the brain.   Beriberi, a disease of the heart and the circulatory system is caused due to the inadequacy of vitamin Bi. Yeast and pork are the common food items that have abundant quantity of vitamin B1

  Vitamin B2

Medical name of vitamin B2 is Riboflavin.  It is essential for the metabolism of fats, energy carbohydrates and ketone bodies. Ariboflavinosis is a disease caused by deficiency of vitamin B2. Milk, cheese, kidneys, liver etc are good suppliers of vitamin B2.

Vitamin B3

Medical name of vitamin B3 is Niacin. It has an important role related to metabolic process and DNA repair and the production of steroid hormones. Food like salmon, avocados, broccoli, nuts whole grains carrots etc are rich in vitamin B3.

Vitamin B5

Its medical name is Pantothenic acid. It is essential for sustaining life and in maintaining the metabolism. Deficiency of this can lead to acne, and numbness of skin.  Whole grains, cereals, legumes, meat, eggs, etc contain abundant quantity of vitamin B5.

Vitamin B6

Pyridoxine is the medical name for vitamin B6.  Cardiovascular diseases are caused due to the deficiency of vitamin B6. Anemia, hypertension, depression etc are the common diseases that can be caused due to the deficiency of vitamin B6.

Vitamin B7

It is also known as biotin. It plays an important role in regulating the levels of glucose in a person’s blood. Impaired growth and neurological problems are also caused by the imbalance of this vitamin. Liver, legumes, soybeans, milk etc contain small quantities of this vitamin. Royal jelly and brewer’s yeast are abundant suppliers of this vitamin.

Vitamin B 9

This vitamin is also known as folic acid. It has a key role in the metabolism process that produces red blood cells. Folic acid has to play a very important during pregnancy. Leafy vegetables, peas, sunflower seeds, etc are rich in vitamin B 9.

Vitamin B 12

Vitamin B 12 has its medical name as cobalamin. It has important role in the functioning of brain and the nervous system. Deficiency of this vitamin can lead to anemia, memory loss. This vitamin is found in non vegetarian foods like egg, meat milk etc.

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