The Beauty Benefits of Vitamin B

Today's Health Tips

 

       

The Beauty Benefits of Vitamin B

By Pierra Calasanz-Labrador 

Yahoo Southeast Asia

                                      

                        There are eight vitamins in the Vitamin B group (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12)

 

We’re pretty familiar with the cosmetic benefits of Vitamins A, C, and E, but Vitamin B? Not so much. Lately, we’ve spotted beauty products infused with Vitamin B, and it’s piqued our interest. So what exactly is Vitamin B good for?

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First off, there are actually eight vitamins in the Vitamin B group (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12), collectively known as Vitamin B Complex. In general, these essential nutrients work in tandem to protect our immune system and keep us energized, but each B Vitamin also has individual super powers, including keeping skin healthy.

 

B is for Beautiful Skin
 

Vitamin B has long been a staple in hair care products (specifically, Vitamin B7, or Biotin, helps keep hair smooth, healthy, and lush), but this underdog of beauty is now finding its way into face creams and beauty lotions to improve skin hydration and keep skin aging at bay.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) boosts circulation to promote glowing skin, while Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) works as an anti-oxidant to fight free radicals and prevent early aging. The popular Vitamin B3 (Niacin or niacinamide on product labels) delivers a healthy supply of oxygen to your skin, helps combat inflammation, rosacea, and acne, and minimizes dark spots. Niacin is particularly effective when applied topically (especially on dry and sensitive skin), helping reduce redness, hyperpigmentation, blotchy skin, and even fine lines, for a smoother, fairer appearance. Vitamin B5 (Panthothenic acid) helps manage acne and promotes faster healing of skin wounds. If you suffer from brittle, chipped, discolored, or disfigured nails, Vitamins B2, B9, and B12 are key to good nail health!

Sources of Vitamin B
 

The good news is, you can get your daily dose of Vitamin B simply by eating a healthy, balanced diet. Great sources of Vitamin B include: eggs, yoghurt, milk, nuts, soybeans, spinach, broccoli, green peas, potatoes, carrots, salmon, tuna, brown rice, whole grains, sunflower seeds, fortified cereal, chicken and turkey, some red meat, and lots of green leafy veggies. High protein food such as liver, beef, and peanuts are particularly high in the beauty vitamin Niacin or B3 (suddenly, a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread sounds totally justified!). If you’re worried that you aren’t ingesting the right amount of Vitamin B your skin needs, apply it topically via lotions and beauty creams for youthful, fair, and glowing skin!

Today's Health Tips

Prevent a Vitamin B12 Deficiency

By Diane Stresing

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

http://www.everydayhealth.com

A vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to anemia and nerve damage. Learn why and find out the warning signs.

You need vitamin B12 to produce blood cells and for your nervous system (which controls pretty much everything) to function properly. In order for the body to use vitamin B12, the vitamin must bind to a protein substance called intrinsic factor, which is produced in the lining of the stomach.

A true dietary deficiency is rare, as most of us get plenty of vitamin B12 in our diets. Very high levels of vitamin B12 are found in foods like liver, clams, and other mollusks, but beef, fish, and fortified breakfast cereals are also good sources of the complex vitamin.

“The body only needs a small amount,” explains Paul Thomas, EdD, RD, a dietitian and scientific consultant with the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements. Yet most Americans consume four to five micrograms a day [of vitamin B12] — "and we only need two to three,” says Elizabeth Pash Penniman, MS, RD, LD, a dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. "Our body can store several years’ worth of B12.”

Vitamin B12: Who’s At Risk for Deficiency?

As we age, the lining of the stomach produces less intrinsic factor, which can greatly reduce the body’s absorption of vitamin B12. Also, those who follow a strict vegan diet with no animal products may be at risk for developing a vitamin deficiency.

Others at risk include people with certain medical conditions that do not permit sufficient vitamin B12 absorption, such as:

• Pernicious anemia
• Crohn’s disease
• Fish tapeworm infection

Vitamin B12: Recognizing Signs of Vitamin Deficiency

The primary symptom of a vitamin B12 deficiency is a sore, red tongue. However, there are a number of other symptoms, including:

• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Decreased sense of vibration
• Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
• Sore mouth and tongue
• Weakness
• Anemia
• Poor memory, confusion, and depression in advanced cases

“If you have the signs or symptoms, I would recommend getting a blood test,” says Penniman. A blood test can usually determine the specific cause of your symptoms, many of which may be seen in other conditions, including folate deficiency.

Vitamin B12: Preventing Vitamin Deficiency

Prevention is important for people of all ages, as a deficiency can lead to anemia and, in some cases, irreversible damage to the nervous system. The most common treatment is B12 supplements given either orally or by injection, and it is generally effective.

Because we produce less intrinsic factor as we age, taking an oral supplement is recommended for people over the age of 60.

Vegans and vegetarians should also consider taking B12 supplement, either orally or by injection. “B12 comes from animal sources, so if you’re a complete vegan you should be taking a B12 vitamin supplement because you could become anemic,” Penniman says, “and so could your child if you’re a nursing mother.”

If you’re concerned that you might be at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency, talk to your doctor about how to include more B12-rich foods in your diet and whether a supplement is right for you.