Vitamin B complex is a collective term for eight water-soluble vitamins involved in metabolism. They are important nutrients for the smooth functioning of the body, and if you are deficient in them, your body may not get enough energy.
Although the human body can synthesize some of the B vitamins through intestinal bacteria, the amounts are not sufficient, so it is extremely important to obtain them through food.
In this article, we will introduce foods that are high in vitamin B and the precautions to take when consuming them.

Foods high in vitamin B

First, let's look at foods that are high in vitamin B. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, vitamin B is found in large amounts in meat, fish, brown rice, potatoes, and other vegetables.

Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan 2020 Edition (8th Edition): Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Below we will explain each food item.


● pork

Pork is probably the first food that comes to mind for many people when thinking of foods that contain vitamin B. Pork is rich in vitamins B1 and B6. The vitamin content varies depending on the part of the pork, with the tenderloin containing the most vitamin B1.

There are many dishes that use pork, such as cold shabu-shabu in the summer and hot pot in the winter, so the repertoire is quite extensive.
One thing to note is that B vitamins are water-soluble, so when cooking something that requires boiling, like shabu-shabu, they will dissolve into the broth.
By making good use of stock and cooking water, you can efficiently consume B vitamins.


● lever

Liver contains a lot of vitamin B2, one of the B vitamins.
For example, pork liver, beef liver, and chicken liver all contain a lot of vitamin B2, with pork liver having the highest content per 100g.

Liver is rich in iron and is often thought of as a food to prevent anemia, but it is also rich in other nutrients, including B vitamins.
Other vitamins include retinol, a type of vitamin A, which helps increase skin metabolism and hyaluronic acid in the stratum corneum.
Liver is an effective food for those who want to maintain their health and have beautiful skin.


● Blue fish

Blue fish in general, especially saury and mackerel, are rich in vitamins B12 and B6.
Oily fish is a food that is easily available at supermarkets and, like meat, can be cooked in a variety of ways, making it a relatively easy way to ingest vitamin B.
In particular, blue fish in season are said to store nutrients before spawning, so they are not only an efficient source of vitamins, but also delicious to eat.

You can also get vitamin B from canned blue fish. You can get vitamin B by adding canned mackerel to miso soup or eating canned pacific saury as an evening snack.


● brown rice

Brown rice is a food that is rich in vitamin B1 and niacin, and is also rich in dietary fiber and minerals.
Most Japanese people eat rice at some point during each meal, so by replacing your daily meals with brown rice, you can easily get enough vitamins.

Many recent rice cookers have a brown rice mode, so it is easy to incorporate brown rice into your meals at home. However, because brown rice is not polished, it takes time for the rice to soak up the water.
You can shorten the cooking time by using pre-rinsed brown rice or by changing the water used to soak the rice before cooking to lukewarm water, depending on your lifestyle.


Vegetables ​

Vegetables vary greatly in the types of B vitamins they contain.
For example, corn, broccoli, and asparagus are rich in folic acid, while sweet potatoes, potatoes, and pumpkins are rich in vitamin B6.
These vegetables are popular not only as side dishes for main dishes, but also as ingredients in salads and miso soup.
If you use vegetables to supplement any missing nutrients in your meal of the day, you will be able to get enough B vitamins.

Knowledge about Vitamin B

Vitamin B complex is a collective term for eight water-soluble vitamins. They play an important role in producing energy for the body and smoothing metabolism.
Below, we will introduce the effects of B vitamins, the recommended daily intake, and symptoms of deficiency and overdose.


● What are B vitamins?

Vitamin B group refers to the following eight water-soluble vitamins excluding vitamin C:

Vitamin B1
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
• Niacin
• Pantothenic acid
• Folic acid
• Biotin

These are involved in enzyme reactions, act as so-called "coenzymes," and help in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.
Not only does it help produce energy in the body, it also helps the proteins that make up skin and hair function and keeps them healthy. In this way, vitamin B is one of the essential nutrients for both health and beauty.


● Daily Intake of Vitamin B

The recommended daily intake of B vitamins by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is as follows:



(It is recommended that you take more folic acid during pregnancy and breastfeeding than usual.)

Please also refer to the following resources:
Report of the "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020 Edition)" Development Committee | Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare


● What happens if you don't have enough B vitamins?

What happens to your body when you are deficient in B vitamins?
Below are some of the most common symptoms.

• Vitamin B1 deficiency: fatigue, loss of appetite
• Vitamin B2 deficiency: growth retardation, skin inflammation
• Vitamin B6 deficiency: Skin inflammation
• Vitamin B12 deficiency: Anemia
• Niacin deficiency: Skin inflammation, diarrhea, numbness, weakness
• Deficiency of pantothenic acid: growth retardation, numbness, weakness, skin inflammation
• Folic acid deficiency: Anemia
• Biotin deficiency: Skin inflammation, loss of appetite

As you can see, a deficiency in B vitamins can cause a variety of health problems. To avoid these as much as possible, it is important to consume plenty of nutrients.


● What happens if you take too much B vitamins?

The B vitamins are water-soluble, so even if you take in too much, they are excreted from the body in urine, so it is rare to have an excess.
However, if you consume too much of it just because it's good for your body, it could actually cause illness or various symptoms.

Below is a list of symptoms that may occur from taking too much B vitamins:

• Vitamin B6: Numbness/pain in hands and feet, neuropathy, sensory loss, kidney stones
• Niacin: General itching, skin inflammation, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, liver dysfunction, fulminant hepatitis
• Folic acid: fever, hives, neuropathy, taste disorder

If you are taking B vitamins through supplements, be sure to follow the directions for use.

Nutrients that can be expected to have a synergistic effect when taken together with B vitamins

Taking B vitamins together with other nutrients can have a synergistic effect rather than taking them alone. This is called "nutritional synergy," and the nutrients help each other.
Below are some nutrients that can be expected to have increased effects when taken together with B vitamins:


Other B vitamin nutrients

The nutrients in the B vitamin group work in a mutually supportive way.
At first glance, this may not seem to make sense since they are all the same vitamin, but since the B vitamins each act on different parts of the body, they each play their own role and enhance each other's functions.
If you want to efficiently absorb B vitamins into your body, you need to consume a balanced amount of the eight B vitamins. If you want to get B vitamins from your diet, it is best to split them into several dishes.


Allicin ​

Allicin is a component found in garlic and chives, and helps with the absorption of vitamin B1.
Allicin itself has a unique pungent taste, but it also has strong antibacterial and antioxidant properties, helping to improve immunity. Therefore, consuming garlic or chives when you have a cold can help speed up recovery.

As you can see, allicin alone plays a major role in maintaining good health. However, it has a strong bactericidal effect and can kill good bacteria, which can easily worsen the intestinal environment, so be careful not to take too much.


Magnesium ​

Magnesium is an essential mineral and is used as a material for the enzymes that make vitamins B1, B2, and B6 work. Therefore, if you are deficient in magnesium, some of the B vitamins will not function as they should.

Magnesium is found in large amounts in buckwheat and brown rice, but due to changes in lifestyle and eating habits, it is said that modern Japanese people often lack magnesium.
When taking B vitamins, it is a good idea to consciously take magnesium as well.

Important points to remember when taking B vitamins

There are a few things to keep in mind when taking B vitamins.
First, because there are many types of B vitamins, rather than taking a lot of one type, it is important to take multiple types of B vitamins evenly.
As mentioned above, the B vitamins work together to help each other. Therefore, it is more effective to take multiple types of vitamins together than to take each one individually.

Secondly, take B vitamins diligently every day. B vitamins are water-soluble. Therefore, they are not easily stored in the body and most of them are washed out during urination.
Eat a well-balanced diet every day.

Finally, one key point for determining whether you are deficient is that B vitamins act as coenzymes and play various roles in relieving fatigue in the body. Therefore, if you experience symptoms such as fatigue that cannot be relieved even after sleeping, or stiff shoulders or mouth ulcers that do not go away, you may be deficient in B vitamins.

summary

This article provides a comprehensive summary of information about the B vitamins.
The B vitamins are eight types of water-soluble vitamins that are important for maintaining health and beauty. Because they are excreted from the body every day, it is essential to continue to eat a balanced diet to avoid vitamin B deficiency. Learn about the functions and characteristics of vitamin B and work to build a healthy body.

Article supervision

Director Fumi Yagabe
Miyabi Clinic

After graduating from Nagasaki University School of Medicine, he joined the Department of Plastic Surgery at Nagasaki University.
After gaining experience in the laser outpatient and cosmetic medicine department at the Fukuoka University School of Plastic Surgery,
In 2016, he opened Miyabi Clinic, a plastic surgery and cosmetic dermatology clinic, and serves as its director.

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