Vitamin Supplements

There is a popular belief that B vitamins are ‘good for the nerves‘. In fact this is rather an upside-down statement and it would be better to say that lack of vitamin B is bad for the nerves. In health our nerves function very efficiently. They take information from outside our body to the brain and we know if something is hot or cold, red or green, sweet or sour. This information travels along ingoing (afferent) nerves to the brain which sifts the evidence and decides on a plan of action, i.e. to take the hand away from the hot water. It sends messages back along outgoing (efferent) nerves to the muscles concerned, and the hand is pulled away from the heat. We take much of this basic behaviour for granted but the reactions involved are many and complicated. Read the rest of this entry »

Thiamin is the first of the B complex vitamins and it is often referred to as vitamin B₁. Our daily intake of thiamin is calculated on the calories we need in our diet and this gives the first clue to its main function. It is involved in the production of energy in the body. If we go back to the section describing the general duties of vitamins you will remember that they act as coenzymes in the chemical reactions that take place in all normal metabolism, and some of those reactions produce energy from the food we eat. Fats, protein and carbohydrates are the three main categories of foods found in most diets. Fats are storage foods, acting as insulation and protection within the body. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the second of the B vitamins. It was recognised as an important food factor soon after the discovery of thiamin, but it was not given its official name of riboflavin until 1937. The B vitamins presented problems for the scientists because many were found in similar foods, but they could not be isolated and separated. The first clue to their existence came when it was realised that thiamin was destroyed on heating but the extracts which had been used retained other curative properties. These heat resistant factors were not effective in curing the thiamin deficiency diseases but they did prevent other conditions. Riboflavin was particularly effective against types of dermatitis in laboratory animals. Read the rest of this entry »