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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MM on January 21, 2005, at 14:57:36
I read that it wasn't good to take b-vitamins individually without a b-complex, or without the other b-vitamins being increased (I can't think of the right word here...I hate that SE) accordingly or in the right ratio to the certain b-vitamin. So is it bad to take them without the b-complex?
Thanks,
Meg
Posted by jujube on January 21, 2005, at 16:28:27
In reply to Can you take b vitamins without a b-complex?, posted by MM on January 21, 2005, at 14:57:36
What you should avoid doing is taking high doses of a single B vitamin without increasing the amount of all the others. This is an important rule not just because the B vitamins work together, but also because B vitamins compete in the intestines for absorption by the body. So, if you take a high dose of B12, for example, you might decrease the amount of say B6 being absorbed by the body and end up with B-vitamin imbalance.
So, to avoid this, it is important to take a B Complex that contains equal amounts of all the B vitamins. Then you can add additional amounts of the individual B vitamins that you need. I have read that it is safe to add up to 2 - 3 times the ammount of the other Bs you are taking. It is my understanding that there are no toxicity issues with the Bs since Bs are water soluble and any excess would just be peed out.
> I read that it wasn't good to take b-vitamins individually without a b-complex, or without the other b-vitamins being increased (I can't think of the right word here...I hate that SE) accordingly or in the right ratio to the certain b-vitamin. So is it bad to take them without the b-complex?
> Thanks,
> Meg
Posted by Questionmark on January 31, 2005, at 21:45:04
In reply to Re: Can you take b vitamins without a b-complex? » MM, posted by jujube on January 21, 2005, at 16:28:27
> What you should avoid doing is taking high doses of a single B vitamin without increasing the amount of all the others. This is an important rule not just because the B vitamins work together, but also because B vitamins compete in the intestines for absorption by the body. So, if you take a high dose of B12, for example, you might decrease the amount of say B6 being absorbed by the body and end up with B-vitamin imbalance.
>
> So, to avoid this, it is important to take a B Complex that contains equal amounts of all the B vitamins. Then you can add additional amounts of the individual B vitamins that you need. I have read that it is safe to add up to 2 - 3 times the ammount of the other Bs you are taking. It is my understanding that there are no toxicity issues with the Bs since Bs are water soluble and any excess would just be peed out.
>
> > I read that it wasn't good to take b-vitamins individually without a b-complex, or without the other b-vitamins being increased (I can't think of the right word here...I hate that SE) accordingly or in the right ratio to the certain b-vitamin. So is it bad to take them without the b-complex?
> > Thanks,
> > Meg
"What you should avoid doing is taking high doses of a single B vitamin without increasing the amount of all the others. This is an important rule not just because the B vitamins work together, but also because B vitamins compete in the intestines for absorption by the body."i have heard this info and consequent advice a # of times before from different people and non-research sources. But if it's the case that B vitamins compete in the intestines for absorption, then wouldn't it actually be better to take individual B vitamins at different times during the day, or apart from each other? Because the B vitamins in a B complex are all supposedly competing to be absorbed and so a smaller % of each of them are absorbed then otherwise would be. Also, if you still took them all in one day, your body would probably still be able to utilize them together enough when needed-- right?
i could be missing something. Or is the only/main reason that we aren't advised to take individual B vitamins seperately but still all during the same day simply because of the time/difficulty and inconvenience factors?
Posted by Larry Hoover on February 14, 2005, at 16:34:32
In reply to Re: Can you take b vitamins without a b-complex? » jujube, posted by Questionmark on January 31, 2005, at 21:45:04
> i could be missing something. Or is the only/main reason that we aren't advised to take individual B vitamins seperately but still all during the same day simply because of the time/difficulty and inconvenience factors?
I don't think the issue is uptake competition. It's an issue of utilization. When you increase your intake of a B-vitamin, you increase the efficiency of any enzyme that requires that B as a cofactor. That will change the relative concentrations of other substances that are either raw materials or products of that particular enzyme. With those changes in concentration, other enzymes increase their own demand for their own particular B vitamin cofactors. It's like a group of people holding hands. If one runs, they all must run, or the chain must break. Supplementation of a single B vitamin can directly cause a deficiency in another, unless the intake of the other is increased as well. To circumvent that problem, B-complex formulations were developed.
Lar
Posted by Questionmark on February 16, 2005, at 15:47:22
In reply to Re: Can you take b vitamins without a b-complex? » Questionmark, posted by Larry Hoover on February 14, 2005, at 16:34:32
This is the end of the thread.
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