Vitamin B Complex Benefits: Boost Energy, Mental Health, & Metabolism

Key Points:

  • Vitamin B complex is a blend of essential water-soluble vitamins that work together to increase energy and boost metabolism. A typical vitamin B complex contains B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate (B9), biotin (B7), and sometimes choline (B4).
  • Instead of targeting individual B vitamins, a complex works to cover all your bases (and simplify your vitamin routine). It can particularly benefit vegans, vegetarians, and patients recovering from mycotoxin or biotoxin illness.
  • One thing you should consider when choosing a vitamin B complex is the MTHFR gene. Those with MTHFR struggle to metabolize folate and shouldn’t be exposed to folic acid, the synthetic version of folate.

Do “mystery symptoms” keep you up at night?

You’ve scoured the internet for answers to persistent fatigue, a slow metabolism, and mental health struggles. Even your doctors aren’t sure what’s plaguing you.

It’s hard to believe these ubiquitous symptoms could improve with something as simple as a vitamin B complex. But don’t count out these powerful nutrients just yet.

A vitamin B complex is a mixture of eight powerful B vitamins that work together to boost vitality, energy, and cellular wellness. They’re water-soluble vitamins, meaning our bodies need a consistent supply through diet (preferably) or supplements.

Let’s explore the many benefits of a vitamin B complex — and how these powerful nutrients can help boost your energy.

Table of Contents:

What Is a Vitamin B Complex?

A vitamin B complex is a mixture of eight different types of Vitamin B: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, B7, and folinic acid aka B9, which fill nutritional gaps and promote cellular energy.

Instead of targeting individual B vitamins like B12 or B6, a complex covers all your bases, which can be helpful for vitamins that work so closely together. If you supplement with just one or two of the B’s, you’ll deplete the levels of the others over time. Taking a B complex closely mimics what we see in nature, too. Most vitamin B-rich foods contain multiple B vitamins.

You can find B vitamins in red meat, fish, beef liver, leafy greens, legumes, dairy products, and eggs — making vegan and vegetarian diets a particular risk for vitamin B deficiency. Studies also show that patients exposed to mycotoxins (mold) present with vitamin B deficiencies that have nothing to do with diet.

Takeaway? Even with a healthy diet, it pays to be aware of vitamin B levels in the body.

Vitamin B Complex Benefits

One study explains, “Any B vitamin deficiency can negatively affect mitochondrial metabolism of amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids through the citric acid cycle and electron transport chain.”

Translation? Regular vitamin B consumption is important for numerous aspects of health — including cellular function, metabolism, and energy production.

Here are just a handful of powerful vitamin B complex benefits:

Benefit #1: Metabolic Health

Your metabolism is in charge of turning food and nutrients into energy. When this process is disrupted, we can face side effects like blood sugar imbalance, heart problems, fatigue, and mood swings. A vitamin B complex can help kick our metabolism back into gear — since most B vitamins are directly involved with the conversion of carbs into energy (we can particularly thank vitamin B1 for this process).

Benefit #2: Energy Production & Cellular Health

Speaking of your metabolism, if nutrients aren’t properly converted into energy, you’ll likely experience fatigue, brain fog, or a lack of motivation.

Whether you’re plagued by vitamin B deficiency due to chronic stress, mycotoxin exposure, or dietary restrictions, it’s important to recognize vitamin B as a possible root cause for your symptoms (and hopefully, high-quality supplements as an easy fix).

Vitamin B12, in particular, helps boost energy at the cellular level. Its job is to help convert carbs into ATP, the “energy currency” of the cell.

Benefit #3: Mental Health Benefits

Did you know? Vitamin B (particularly vitamin B6) supports the synthesis of neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and adrenaline) in the body. In other words, the presence of vitamin B6 plays a direct role in mental health symptoms and helps to mitigate mood swings.

Additionally, B vitamins are connected to nervous system health — a complex system that helps the brain communicate with the rest of the body, including the gut, respiratory system, and heart. The job of the nervous system is to keep us calm in a crisis and react appropriately to environmental stressors. An out-of-balance nervous system can lock us into a fight-or-flight response.

Remember when we said vitamin B is directly involved in the creation of ATP (aka cellular energy)? Well, that same ATP is essential for nerve cells. Without ample ATP, we may be at risk for nerve cell damage and dysfunction.

Benefit #4: Clear Skin and Strong Nails

Everyone is looking for clear skin, right? Vitamin B complex is a not-so-secret remedy for breakouts and skin health. If you’ve tried everything for persistent acne (and you identify with other symptoms of vitamin B deficiency), it may be time to try a vitamin B complex.

B vitamins are considered to be so good for your skin that they’re often included in skincare products. Even better than a topical application, though, is a dietary intervention.

Since each B vitamin has different skin benefits (for example, B1 plays a key role in collagen synthesis and B5 lessens acne and acne scars), a vitamin B complex is typically the best option to boost skin quality. Likely, acne is just one side effect of a vitamin B deficiency — and a symptom your body’s using to call for help. More B vitamins, please!

When Is the Best Time to Take a Vitamin B Complex?

There actually is a “best time of day” to take your vitamin B complex. Since vitamin B is so connected to energy production, we recommend taking vitamin B in the morning with a full meal.

This allows you to experience the full benefits of vitamin B’s cellular boost — and may help mitigate symptoms of an upset stomach, too.

Can Vitamin B Complex Cause Stomach Pain? Plus Other Side Effects of Vitamin B Complex

In short, yes. A mild stomach ache or indigestion may occur for those who are brand-new to a vitamin B complex. The side effects should be temporary and bearable (think a slight stomach ache or nausea).

If you experience any gut symptoms as a result of your vitamin B complex, don’t be afraid to take things slow. Lower the dose, and make sure you take your vitamins in the morning with a full meal.

A vitamin B complex may also induce brightly colored urine. Don't worry, this is perfectly harmless and a natural side effect of taking vitamin B2.

Even though B vitamins are water soluble (meaning the excess is excreted through urine), it is possible (though extremely rare) to experience toxicity from an overdose. Make sure you purchase a vitamin B complex from a reputable supplement brand, and don’t exceed the standard dosage or whatever dose is recommended by your healthcare provider.

Best Vitamin B Complex for MTHFR Gene Mutation

Don’t be surprised if it’s difficult for you to process vitamin B9 (aka folate). In fact, about 30-40% of people struggle with the methylation of folate. It’s so common that it even has a name: the MTHFR gene mutation.

Supplementing with a vitamin B complex can be complicated for people with the MTHFR gene mutation. Since you already struggle to metabolize folate, you definitely shouldn’t consume folic acid, the synthetic, inactive version of folate.

This can throw your immune system out of whack and even cause symptoms of toxicity. Make sure you find a vitamin brand that uses methylated folate. This is a type of natural folate (or vitamin B9) that’s already converted to its most active form.

We’re all about giving your body the tools it needs to work naturally. Methylated folate means your body doesn't have to put in the extra legwork to make this vitamin available to your cells. Our philosophy? We use exclusively methylated folate in our vitamin B complex.

BodyBio Vitamin B+ Is Trusted by Doctors Around the World

Whew, we’ve covered a lot about vitamin B complex benefits and how non-synthetic vitamins can dramatically improve the way your body metabolizes B vitamins. We can’t say enough about how life-changing a vitamin B complex can be for mental health, low energy, and metabolic health challenges.

That’s why we created the best vitamin B complex on the market (sure, we’re a little biased — but seriously, we put in the work and the research).

Our high-dose vitamin B complex contains every B vitamin you need for improved energy and a powerful metabolism, perfectly balanced the way nature intended. We’ve also included methylated folate — perfect for those with the MTHFR gene or for anyone who wants to avoid synthetic folic acid.

Vitamin B Complex Can Change Your Energy Levels for Good — Read the Reviews

References

Hanna, M., Jaqua, E., Nguyen, V., & Clay, J. (2022). B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine. The Permanente journal, 26(2), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/21.204

Anyanwu, E. C., & Kanu, I. (2007). Biochemical impedance on intracellular functions of vitamin B12 in chronic toxigenic mold exposures. TheScientificWorldJournal, 7, 1649–1657. https://doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2007.113

Calderón-Ospina, C. A., & Nava-Mesa, M. O. (2020). B Vitamins in the nervous system: Current knowledge of the biochemical modes of action and synergies of thiamine, pyridoxine, and cobalamin. CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 26(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.13207

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