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What Is Vitamin B Complex Good For?

Updated 13 August 2020
Lincoln Cannon

Brain Health

B Vitamins are necessary for a healthy life. Each vitamin plays an important role in development and maintenance of the brain and nervous system, as well as other organs and systems. And all of them work together in the body to convert food into energy. Because their functions are interrelated, a deficiency or insufficiency in one may negatively affect the function of another.

There are eight B Vitamins:

One of them, Vitamin B2, is in my list of top tier nootropics. Another, Vitamin B3, is in my list of top tier geroprotectors. Various substances have been or are sometimes associated with the B4, B8, B10, and B11 classifications. However, consensus science does not currently recognize them as vitamins.

Most B Vitamins have multiple vitamers. Vitamins are functional classifications, and vitamers are the molecular structures within each classification. Vitamers of a particular vitamin may differ in effects beyond the functions essential to the vitamin. Some differences may be complementary, and some may present different opportunity and risk profiles.

Because the body cannot synthesize them, B Vitamins must come from a balanced diet. Deficiency is associated with adverse effects ranging from a weakened immune system to heart disease. According to a 2011 study on nutrient sources in the United States, between 2% and 12% of people consume less than the estimated average requirements (EAR) of B Vitamins from natural and fortified food sources.

Dietary Reference Intakes

Regulatory agencies have established guidance to help consumers avoid adverse effects associated with vitamin deficiencies. Guidance includes recommended daily allowances and adequate intakes (RDI) in the United States. And the European Union provides nutrient reference values (NRV), which are a subset of dietary reference values (DRV) that apply to vitamins.

Larger but unknown percentages of people consume less than optimal amounts of B Vitamins. This insufficiency is also associated with adverse effects, as described by a 2012 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

“Dietary deficiencies are well documented, and they have characteristic signs and symptoms. In addition, recent findings have determined that less than optimal biochemical concentrations (representing suboptimal status) have been associated with risks of adverse health effects. These health effects include cardiovascular disease, stroke, impaired cognitive function, cancer, eye diseases, poor bone health, and other conditions.”

Optimal intake of B Vitamins may vary significantly from person to person. Because all B Vitamins are water-soluble, excess amounts are usually eliminated from the body. So they are generally safe to consume at higher amounts than those specified by RDI or NRV.

However, caution is still warranted. Regulatory agencies have established guidance on the upper limit (UL) of daily intake likely to pose no risk of adverse side effects. And it’s always wise to seek medical advice from your physician before and during use of all dietary supplements.

Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin B Complex is the combination of all eight B Vitamins in a single supplement. Taking B Complex at safe high doses may be an effective strategy for optimizing intake with little risk. Safe high doses are those above RDI and below UL.

Most vendors that sell Vitamin B Complex follow a safe high dose strategy. Consider the top B Complex products for sale on Amazon.com. Among them, the mean dose for all B Vitamins except B9 is well above RDI. And none of the mean doses is above UL as set by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

Vitamin B RDI NRV UL

Supplementation of high dose B Complex may support brain health and improve mental performance, according to these studies:

These studies had divergent results:

Supplementation of subsets of B Vitamins may NOT support brain health and improve mental performance, according to these meta-analyses:

This meta-analysis had divergent results:

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 vitamers include Thiamin (Thiamine or Aneurin) and Thiamine Pyrophosphate (Thiamine Diphosphate or Cocarboxylase). They are found in foods like enriched, fortified, or whole-grain products; bread and bread products, mixed foods whose main ingredient is grain, and ready-to-eat cereals.

Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume between 1.1 mg and 1.2 mg daily. In the United States, recommended daily intake (RDI) is 1.2 mg. In the European Union, the nutrient reference value (NRV) is 1.1 mg.

Supplements are generally safe up to at least 100 mg daily. In the United States and the European Union, UL is not determined. In the United Kingdom, UL is 100 mg. CRN also sets its UL at 100 mg.

The maximum absorption per dose is above the CRN UL. The bioavailability of Thiamin and Thiamin Pyrophosphate may be roughly equivalent. And disulfides (such as Allithiamine and Sulbutiamine) may provide greater neuroavailability than alternatives.

Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is 1 mg. Before supplementation, about 6% of people consume less than EAR. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

Supplementation at 12 to 50 mg daily may support brain health and improve mental performance, according to these studies:

    For Vitamin B1 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 50 mg, which is 4167% RDI, 50% UK UL, and 50% CRN UL. Vitamin B1 is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Vitamin B2

    Vitamin B2

    Vitamin B2 vitamers include Riboflavin (Riboflavine), Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD), Flavin Mononucleotide (FMN or Riboflavin-5-Phosphate). They are found in foods like organ meats, milk, bread products, and fortified cereals.

    Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume between 1.3 mg and 1.4 mg daily. In the United States, RDI is 1.3 mg. In the European Union, NRV is 1.4 mg.

    Supplements are generally safe up to at least 40 mg daily and perhaps up to 200 mg daily. In the United States and the European Union, UL is not determined. In the United Kingdom, UL is 40 mg.

    CRN sets its UL at 200 mg. Regarding the UK UL assessment, CRN notes: "minor and inconsistent adverse effects reported with 400 mg supplemental intake suggest that the [UK] uncertainty factor … is unnecessarily restrictive."

    The maximum absorption per dose is at least 27 mg. However, the maximum is probably higher at a diminishing rate. And the bioavailability of different B2 vitamers may be roughly equivalent.

    Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is 1.1 mg. Before supplementation, about 2% of people consume less than EAR. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

    Supplementation at 25 to 400 mg may provide a notable decrease to migraine. For links to studies, see my list of top tier nootropics.

    For Vitamin B2 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 50 mg, which is 3846% RDI, 125% UK UL, and 25% CRN UL. Vitamin B2 as Riboflavin-5-Phosphate (FMN) is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Vitamin B3

    Vitamin B3

    Vitamin B3 vitamers include Nicotinic Acid (Niacin), Nicotinamide (Niacinamide), Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD), Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NADP), and Nicotinamide Riboside. They are found in foods like meat, fish, poultry, enriched and whole-grain breads and bread products, and fortified ready-to-eat cereals.

    Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume 16 mg daily. In the United States, RDI is 16 mg. In the European Union, NRV is also 16 mg.

    Supplements are generally safe up to at least 35 mg daily for the Niacin vitamer and up to 1500 mg daily for the Nicotinamide vitamer. In the United States, UL is 35 mg. In the European Union, UL is 10 mg for Nicotinic Acid and 900 mg for Nicotinamide. In the United Kingdom, UL is 17 mg for Nicotinic Acid and 500 mg for Nicotinamide.

    CRN sets its UL at 250 mg for Nicotinic Acid and 1500 mg for Nicotinamide. Regarding the other UL assessments, CRN notes: "flushing reaction in response to supplemental nicotinic acid deserves to be characterized as a nuisance, but not as a hazard." And "CRN UL for excessive supplemental nicotinic acid is based on the hepatotoxic effects at much higher doses, effects that can be clearly hazardous."

    Maximum absorption per dose is above the CRN UL. The bioavailability of different B3 vitamers may be roughly equivalent. However, they may function differently in the body.

    Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is 12 mg. Before supplementation, about 2% of people consume less than EAR; and after supplementation, about 10% consume more than UL. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

    Supplementation may support brain health, according to these studies:

    This study had divergent results:

    Supplementation above the CRN UL may provide a strong increase to HDL-C and a notable decrease to LDL-C and triglycerides. For links to studies, see my list of top tier geroprotectors.

    Supplementation above the CRN UL may provide a subtle decrease to risk of stroke, according to these studies:

    This study had divergent results:

    However, supplementation above the CRN UL may also promote a subtle detrimental effect on blood glucose. For links to studies, see the Vitamin B3 article at Examine.com.

    For Vitamin B3 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 100 mg, which is 625% RDI, 588% UK UL, and 40% CRN UL. Vitamin B3 as Nicotinamide is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Vitamin B4

    Vitamin B4 may refer to Adenine, Carnitine, or Choline. Consensus science does not currently recognize any of these substances as a vitamin.

    However, Carnitine and Choline are both nootropics. Acetyl-L-Carnitine, a form of Carnitine, is in my list of top tier nootropics. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to ammonia, thereby detoxifying the brain. I consider Alpha-GPC, which contains Choline, to be a second tier nootropic.

    Celebrity futurist Ray Kurzweil recommends Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Phosphatidylcholine. Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Alpha-GPC (Choline) are ingredients in Thrivous supplements.

    Vitamin B5

    Vitamin B5

    Vitamin B5 vitamers include Coenzyme A, Pantothenate, Pantothenic Acid, Pantothenol, and 4-Phosphopantetheine. It is found in foods like chicken, beef, potatoes, oats, cereals, tomato products, liver, kidney, yeast, egg yolk, broccoli, and whole grains.

    Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume between 5 mg and 6 mg daily. In the United States, RDI is 5 mg. In the European Union, NRV is 6 mg.

    Supplements are generally safe up to at least 200 mg daily and perhaps up to 1000 mg daily. In the United States and the European Union, UL is not determined. In the United Kingdom, UL is 200 mg.

    CRN sets its UL at 1000 mg. Regarding the UK UL assessment, CRN notes: "clinical trial data identified by the [UK] provided evidence that supplemental intakes of 2,000 mg did not produce adverse effects." And "with the absence of adverse effects with daily intakes as high as 10 g, and systemic clinical experience with oral intakes of up to 1,000 mg per day, 1,000 mg per day is selected as the CRN supplemental UL value."

    It may not matter much which B5 vitamer you use. The bioavailability of different B5 vitamers may be roughly equivalent.

    Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is not established. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

    For Vitamin B5 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 100 mg, which is 2000% RDI, 50% UK UL, and 10% CRN UL. Vitamin B5 as Calcium Pantothenate is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Vitamin B6

    Vitamin B6

    Vitamin B6 vitamers include Pyridoxine (Pyridoxol), Pyridoxine-5-Phosphate, Pyridoxamine, Pyridoxamine-5-Phosphate, Pyridoxal, and Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate. They are found in foods like fortified cereals, organ meats, and fortified soy-based meat substitutes. In the United States, FDA regulates the Pyradoxamine vitamer as a pharmaceutical.

    Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume between 1.4 mg and 1.7 mg daily. In the United States, RDI is 1.7 mg. In the European Union, NRV is 1.4 mg.

    Supplements are generally safe up to at least 10 mg daily and perhaps up to 100 mg daily. In the United States, UL is 100 mg. In the European Union, UL is 25 mg. In the United Kingdom, UL is 10 mg.

    CRN sets its UL at 100 mg. Regarding the other UL assessments, CRN notes: "three government reports based their risk assessment on widely differing datasets and methods, especially in determining uncertainty." It calls attention to "the complete absence of adverse effects in credible, well-designed studies at 100 and 150 mg and only marginal evidence of adverse effects at 200 mg." And it concludes that "100 mg can be confidently identified, with a low level of uncertainty, as a safe level of consumption."

    Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is 1.1 mg. Before supplementation, about 12% of people consume less than EAR; and after supplementation, about 1% consume more than UL. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

    Supplementation (independent of B Complex consideration) may NOT support brain health or improve mental performance, according to these meta-analyses:

    This study had divergent results:

    However, supplementation above the CRN UL may promote risk of nerve damage, according to this and related studies:

    For Vitamin B6 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 50 mg, which is 2941% RDI, 500% UK UL, and 50% CRN UL. Vitamin B6 as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Vitamin B7

    Vitamin B7

    Vitamin B7 vitamers include Biotin. It is found in foods like liver, and smaller amounts in fruits and meats.

    Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume between 30 mcg and 50 mcg daily. In the United States, RDI is 30 mcg. In the European Union, NRV is 50 mcg.

    Supplements are generally safe up to at least 900 mcg daily and perhaps up to 2500 mcg daily. In the United States and the European Union, UL is not determined. In the United Kingdom, UL is 900 mcg.

    CRN sets its UL at 2500 mcg. Regarding the UK UL assessment, CRN notes: "absence of adverse effect at 9mg of biotin per day suggests that biotin supplements with lower amounts are likely to be safe … [and the UK uncertainty factor] is unnecessarily restrictive."

    Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is not established. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

    For Vitamin B7 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 300 mcg, which is 1000% RDI, 33% UK UL, and 12% CRN UL. Vitamin B7 as Biotin is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Vitamin B8

    Vitamin B8 may refer to Adenosine Monophosphate (also known as AMP or Adenylic Acid) or Inositol. Consensus science does not currently recognize either of these substances as a vitamin.

    However, Inositol is in my list of top tier nootropics. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to anxiety and panic attacks.

    Vitamin B9

    Vitamin B9

    Vitamin B9 vitamers include Folic Acid and Folate. Folate forms include 5-Formyltetrahydrofolate (Folinic Acid) and 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate. 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate forms include D-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (D-5-MTHF, 6R-D-Methyltetrahydrofolate, or 6R-D-MTHF) and L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF, 6S-L-Methyltetrahydrofolate, or 6S-L-MTHF). They are found in foods like enriched cereal grains, dark leafy vegetables, enriched and whole-grain breads and bread products, and fortified ready-to-eat cereals.

    Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume between 200 mcg and 400 mcg daily. In the United States, RDI is 400 mcg. In the European Union, NRV is 200 mcg.

    Supplements are generally safe up to at least 1000 mcg daily. In the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, UL is 1000 mcg. CRN also sets its UL at 1000 mcg.

    Folate may present a lower risk of adverse effects than Folic Acid. In some cases, 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate may provide greater bioavilability than 5-Formyltetrahydrofolate, particularly for persons with the MTHFR genetic mutation. L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate may have higher antioxidant activity than D-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate.

    Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is 320 mcg. Before supplementation, about 11% of people consume less than EAR; and after supplementation, about 6% consume more than UL. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

    Supplementation may decrease risk of neural tube birth defects, according to this and related meta-analyses:

    Supplementation (independent of B Complex consideration) may NOT support brain health or improve mental performance, according to these meta-analyses:

    These studies had divergent results:

    However, supplementation above the UL may promote risk of colon cancer, according to this and related studies:

    For Vitamin B9 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 400 mcg, which is 100% RDI, 40% UK UL, and 40% CRN UL. Vitamin B9 as L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Vitamin B10

    Vitamin B10 may refer to Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (also known as PABA). Consensus science does not currently recognize this substance as a vitamin.

    Vitamin B11

    Vitamin B11 may refer to Pteryl-Hepta-Glutamic Acid (also known as PHGA) or Salicylic Acid. Consensus science does not currently recognize either of these substances as a vitamin.

    Vitamin B12

    Vitamin B12

    Vitamin B12 vitamers include Cyanocobalamin, Adenosylcobalamin, and Methylcobalamin. They are found in foods like fortified cereals, meat, fish, and poultry.

    Regulatory agencies recommend that you consume between 2.4 mcg and 2.5 mcg daily. In the United States, RDI is 2.4 mcg. In the European Union, NRV is 2.5 mcg.

    Supplements are generally safe up to at least 2000 mcg daily and perhaps up to 3000 mcg daily. In the United States and the European Union, UL is not determined. In the United Kingdom, UL is 2000 mcg. CRN sets its UL at 3000 mcg.

    The maximum dose with absorption above a constant 1.2% is between 500 and 1000 mcg.

    Cyanocobalamin contains a cyanide molecule. It may be harmless. But Methylcobalamin has become an increasingly popular vitamer. And Methylcobalamin may need to be combined with Adenosylcobalamin to be most broadly effective.

    Supplementation may decrease risk of dietary deficiency and insufficiency. In the United States, EAR is 2 mcg. Before supplementation, about 3% of people consume less than EAR. The proportion of people with insufficiency is unknown.

    Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with low red blood cell count and anemia. People on vegan diets have a higher risk because meat is the most common food source of Vitamin B12. However, there are less common food sources that are vegan, such as nutritional yeast. And there are also vegan supplements.

    B12 supplements on their own, without the full B Complex, may NOT enhance mental performance. Evidence is summarized in these meta-analyses:

    For Vitamin B12 in B Complex supplements, the mean dose is 120 mcg, which is 5000% RDI, 6% UK UL, and 4% CRN UL. Vitamin B12 as Adenosylcobalamin and Methylcobalamin is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

    Thrivous Clarity

    Based on these and other studies, Thrivous developed Clarity Daily Nootropic. Clarity is an advanced Vitamin B Complex supplement. Each serving of two capsules provides a safe high dose of the most bioavailable B vitamers combined with the most effective natural nootropics. Clarity is designed to support healthy brain function and enhance mental abilities such as memory and focus.

    Like all Thrivous supplements, each bottle of Clarity passes through multiple rounds of rigorous quality control. Suppliers test each nutrient to verify its identity, potency, and safety from harmful microbes and metals. Manufacturing tests each nutrient again to double-check the results of our suppliers. And we publish all of our quality test results and certifications on our website for easy reference.

    Clarity Daily Nootropic is available in the Thrivous online store. Get yours today!

    Buy Clarity Daily Nootropic

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