Need Vitamin B Supplements? Try These Foods Instead
B vitamins are a group of essential micronutrients that each play a special role in the body. Also known as the “B complex,” these eight vitamins are involved in converting food into energy, nervous system function, brain health and more. In the ABCs of vitamins, B are a big deal. Together, they act as helpers for enzymes, which facilitate hundreds of chemical reactions in the body.
Each B vitamin has a slightly different job. Here’s a breakdown, based on information from the National Institute of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements:
- Vitamin B1, aka thiamin, helps convert nutrients from the food we eat into energy for cells, especially in the brain.
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) acts as an antioxidant to fight free radicals and aids in the metabolism of fat and other vitamins.
Excerpted from Today
