Modern people live on a tight schedule, with irregular eating habits and life styles, an over-tired condition has become the norm for many. There's already been a lot of media hype about the B Vitamins, and B-Complex Vitamins seem to be considered as the top choice for refreshing and recharging energy. To understand whether the B Vitamins toward energy supplement is a myth or a science, you must first understand what B-Complex Vitamins are.

B-Complex Vitamins refer to the eight water-soluble B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12, Nicotinic Acid, Folic Acid, Biotin and Pantothenic Acid). Each of the eight vitamin Bs has different responsibility, they help "convert" the ingested nutrients into the energy needed by the body. In other words, B vitamins cannot provide energy "directly”; rather, they help convert dietary energy into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the form of energy that our body uses. a myth or a science, you must first understand what B-Complex Vitamins are.

The following list shows the effects of each of vitamin Bs on our body:

Vitamin B1 – helps maintain normal energy metabolism. Helps maintain the normal function of the skin, heart and nervous system. Helps maintain a normal appetite.
Vitamin B2 – helps maintain normal energy metabolism. Helps maintain skin health.
Vitamin B6 – helps maintain normal metabolism of amino acids. Helps the formation of purple matter in red blood cells. Helps red blood cells maintain their normal form. Increase the health of the nervous system.
Vitamin B12 – contributes to the formation of red blood cells. Improve the health of the nervous system.
Nicotinic Acid – helps maintain normal energy metabolism. Improves the health of the skin, nervous system, mucous membranes and digestive system.
Folic Acid – contributes to the formation of red blood cells. Helps the formation of nucleic acids and nuclear proteins. Helps the normal development and growth of the fetus.
Biotin – helps maintain the normal metabolism of energy and amino acids. Helps the synthesis of fat and glycogen. Helps the synthesis of cockroaches. Improves the health of the skin and mucous membranes.
Pantothenic Acid – helps maintain normal energy metabolism. Helps the health of the skin and mucous membranes. Helps body fat, cholesterol synthesis and metabolism of amino acids.

Let’s put it this way, B vitamins are indeed essential for our body, but this does not mean that the supplementation of B vitamins will give us a powerful and significant energy surge. The real benefit of getting a sufficient amount of B vitamins is to provide cells and tissues with the nutrients needed to sustain energy, day after day, which is beneficial to the long-term health and well-being of the our body. As for whether you need to supplement B vitamins, or who are more likely to lack of B vitamins, you can use the following information as the reference :

GROUP ONE:PEOPLE WITH UNBALANCE DIET

People with unbalanced diet are prone to lack of B vitamins. There are many foods containing B vitamins. 

Vitamin B1 – can be found in whole grains such as brown rice, oats, corn, and lean meat.
Vitamin B2 – rich in milk, dairy products, liver, alfalfa and dark green vegetables.
Vitamin B6 – can be found in lean meat, liver, cabbage, egg beans, wheat germ, oatmeal and peanuts.
Vitamin B12 – exists in animal foods such as beef, pig, chicken, clams, fish, eggs and their products.

If your life is too busy to have variety of foods in a balanced manner, you should take additional B-complex dietary supplements.

GROUP TWO:VEGETARIANS & ELDERS

For vegetarians and elders, it is better to add B vitamins supplementation. Vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal foods. Vegetarians who do not consume eggs, dairy, or fish are thought to be at particular risk of vitamin B deficiency. Meanwhile, for elders, they are very likely limited in their ability to absorb vitamin B12. Under these circumstances, to increase the supplementation of vitamin B12 is strongly recommended.

GROUP THREE:DRINKERS

For drinkers, because their body consumes a large amount of vitamin B, the demand for B vitamin gets higher. B vitamins can help metabolism, so it is good to supplement more B vitamins for people who drink alcohol a lot.

GROUP FOUR:PREGNANT WOMEN & BREASTFEEDING MOMS

For pregnant women and breastfeeding moms, their body requires even more nutrients. It is important to make sure the supplementation of vitamins is sufficient. In particular, folate can help the normal development and growth of the fetus; moreover, vitamins B6, B12 and choline have specific effects for both mother and baby as well.

GROUP FIVE:SWEET TOOTH

For those who love sweets, they need to take more vitamin Bs. Excessive sugar intake could make the body's vitamin Bs lack due to excessive consumption. That leaves you feeling less energized, as a result. The solution is to reduce sweet food intake and supplement vitamin Bs.

There are many myths/rumors regarding vitamin Bs. Which one is true?

1. Could vitamin Bs boost of energy?

Acting as coenzymes, Vitamin Bs assist enzymes in metabolizing nutrients to produce energy. Vitamin Bs play a role of catalysis and cannot provide energy directly. When the body lacks enough nutrients, it is no use to increase energy by adding vitamin Bs supplement. It’s like a car, even with an extra-powerful engine, if you don’t provide it gasoline, there is no way to make the car move forward. However, when the body is deficient in vitamin B, proper supplementation can actually enhance your metabolic output.

2. If I feel fatigue in the morning, should I take vitamin B-Complex?

When you feel your energy level is low in the morning, the first approach is to have a nutrient-rich breakfast, which could naturally enhances your physical strength and spirit, and also provide you the needed energy for the day. However, the morning fatigue is also a warning sign, which reminds us to get enough rest, not just passively take vitamin Bs supplement to help physical strength or eliminate fatigue.

3. Taking vitamin Bs at night would cause insomnia?

In fact, for people who lack vitamin Bs, taking vitamin Bs before going to bed will not cause the insomnia, instead it could be beneficial. Vitamins B1, B2, and B6 work together could help synthesize serotonin in the brain, allowing the conversion of tryptophan to niacin and melatonin to help sleep quality.

4. The higher the dose of vitamin B-Complex, the better?

Vitamin Bs are water-soluble, and excess amounts usually are excreted by the body. It is only necessary to supplement the daily recommended intake. The so-called appropriate amount includes the intake from daily food. If the diet is unbalanced, an appropriate amount of additional Vitamin B-complex supplements is recommended. However, some vitamin B-complex supplements contain excessively high doses. The unnecessary quantities of B-complex vitamins may lead to negative effects, which are still needed to be evaluated.

5. Not having yellow urine means the vitamin Bs are complete absorbed?

After taking vitamin B-Complex, you might have noticed your urine turning a yellowish color. This is because the nutrients ingested by the body will be absorbed by the stomach and then enter into the body, and the excess amount will be eliminated. Vitamin Bs are mainly water-soluble nutrients, so when the kidney is converted into urine, the only color-bearing vitamin in the B group, B2, dissolved therein, thereby producing yellowish urine. This is a normal phenomenon; no need to worry too much. Some of the vitamin B-Complex supplements advertised that the urine will not look yellowish after taking their product, the reason is just because the product may not contain vitamin B2.