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B vitamins

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Health and medicine

   Vitamin B is a complex of eight water soluble vitamins, active in cell
   metabolism. The name arises because it was once considered a single
   vitamin, much like Vitamin C or Vitamin D. Since later research has
   shown it is in fact a complex of chemically distinct vitamins that
   happen to often coexist in the same foods, the name has gradually
   declined in use, being replaced by the generic term "the B vitamins",
   the vitamin B complex, or by the specific names of each vitamin.

List of B vitamins

     * Vitamin B[1], (Thiamine)
     * Vitamin B[2], ( Riboflavin)
     * Vitamin B[3], also Vitamin P or Vitamin PP ( Niacin)
     * Vitamin B[5], ( Pantothenic acid)
     * Vitamin B[6], ( Pyridoxine and Pyridoxamine)
     * Vitamin B[7], also Vitamin H ( Biotin)
     * Vitamin B[9], also Vitamin M and Vitamin B-c (Folic acid) -
       important for pregnancies
     * Vitamin B[12], (Cyanocobalamin)

B vitamins deficiency

   Several named vitamin deficiency diseases may result from the lack of
   sufficient B-vitamins.
     * Vitamin B[1] (Thiamine) deficiency causes Beriberi. Symptoms of
       this disease of the nervous system include weight loss, emotional
       disturbances, Wernicke's encephalopathy (impaired sensory
       perception), weakness and pain in the limbs, periods of irregular
       heartbeat, and edema (swelling of bodily tissues). Heart failure
       and death may occur in advanced cases. Chronic thiamine deficiency
       can also cause Korsakoff's syndrome, an irreversible psychosis
       characterized by amnesia and confabulation.
     * Vitamin B[2] (Riboflavin) deficiency causes Ariboflavinosis.
       Symptoms may include cheilosis (cracks in the lips), high
       sensitivity to sunlight, angular cheilitis, glossitis (inflammation
       of the tongue), seborrheic dermatitis or pseudo- syphilis
       (particularly affecting the scrotum or labia majora and the mouth),
       pharyngitis, hyperemia, and edema of the pharyngeal and oral
       mucosa.
     * Vitamin B[3] (Niacin) deficiency, along with a deficiency of
       tryptophan causes Pellagra. Symptoms include aggression,
       dermatitis, insomnia, weakness, mental confusion, and diarrhea. In
       advanced cases, pellagra may lead to dementia and death.

   Deficiencies of other B vitamins result in symptoms that are not part
   of a named deficiency disease.
     * Vitamin B[5] (Pantothenic acid) deficiency can result in acne and
       Paresthesia, although it is uncommon.
     * Vitamin B[6] (Pyridoxine) deficiency may lead to anaemia,
       depression, dermatitis, high blood pressure ( hypertension) and
       elevated levels of homocysteine.
     * Vitamin B[7] deficiency does not typically cause symptoms in adults
       but may lead to impaired growth and neurological disorders in
       infants.
     * Vitamin B[9] (Folic acid) deficiency results in elevated levels of
       homocysteine. Deficiency in pregnant women can lead to birth
       defects.
     * Vitamin B[12] (Cyanocobalamin) deficiency causes pernicious
       anaemia, memory loss and other cognitive decline. It is most likely
       to occur among elderly people as absorption through the gut
       declines with age. In extreme (fortunately rare) cases paralysis
       can result.

Related nutrients

   Other substances which are very similar in structure and function to
   the B vitamins have been discovered. Many of them are "essential"
   vitamins to various plants and animals which cannot synthesize their
   own. (The adjective "essential" in the context of medicine and
   nutrition refers to a nutrient being required because it cannot be made
   by the body. Non-"essential" nutrients are still important.) None of
   these are "essential" vitamins to humans, because humans can synthesize
   their own, though some only technically so (choline, for instance, can
   be metabolized in humans by cannibalizing cells to make use of the
   choline they contain, killing the cells in the process).

   Many of the following substances have been referred to as vitamins
   because they were believed to be vitamins at one time. Most of them are
   vitamins with respect to certain plants and animals as well. While they
   are non-"essential" in that they may be synthesized by the body from
   other starting materials, they are still important. See also
   Orthomolecular medicine.
     * Vitamin B[4] ( Adenine) –
     * Vitamin B[7] "Vitamin I" of Centanni E. (1935) — more commonly
       called Vitamin B7 and also called 'Enteral factor' is a water and
       alcohol (ethanol & methanol) soluble Rice bran factor which
       prevents digestive disterbance in Pigions. It governes the
       anatomical and functional integrity of the intestineal tract. Later
       (1945) found in Yeast; Inositol, Nicotinic acid, & Biotin are
       possibles. Note: Carnitine has also been claimed but is not
       possible as it is insoluble in alcohol. Carnitine as Vitamin B7 was
       wrongly coped from Vitamin BT.
     * Vitamin B[8] ( Ergadenylic acid) – also known as adenosine
       monophosphate
     * Vitamin B[10] ( para-aminobenzoic acid, or PABA)–
     * Vitamin B[11] ( Pteryl-hepta-glutamic acid) – Chick growth factor,
       which is a form of Folic acid. Later found to be one of five
       folates necessary for humans); ( L-carnitine) in France.
     * Vitamin B[13] ( Pyrimidinecarboxylic acid) – Also known as Orotic
       acid, often misspelled erotic acid.
     * Vitamin B[14] – cell proliferant, anti-anaemia, rat growth, an
       antitumor pterin phosphate named by Earl R. Norris (biochemist of
       folic acid fame) isolated from human urine at 0.33ppm (later in
       blood), but later abandoned by him as further evidence did not
       comfirm this. He also clamed this was not Xanthopterin as the
       French do.
     * Vitamin B[15] ( Pangamic acid) –
     * Vitamin B[16] ( dimethylgycine) – also known as DMG. (However
       Lipoic acid was discovered and named a B-Vitamin after B15 and
       before B17)
     * Vitamin B[17] ( Amygdalin) – proponents claim this is effective in
       cancer treatment and prevention and is commonly found in apricot
       kernels
     * Vitamin B[18] –
     * Vitamin B[19] –
     * Vitamin B[20] ( Carnitine) –
     * Vitamin B[21] –
     * Vitamin B[22] – often claimed as an ingredient of Aloe vera
       extracts but also in many other foods. Claimed by one source to be
       Vitamin B12b-delta. first mentioned on internet in reference to
       Naturopath Linda Clark's book "Know your Nutrition"
     * Vitamin B[h] – another name for( biotin)
     * Vitamin B[m] ("mouse factor") – also used to designate Inositol
     * Vitamin B[p] ( Choline) –
     * Vitamin B[t] ( L-carnitine) –
     * Vitamin B[v] – a type of B6 but not Pyrodoxine
     * Vitamin B[w] – a type of Biotin but not d-Biotin
     * Vitamin B[x] – another name for PABA ( para-Aminobenzoic acid)
     * Lipoic acid –

   Note: B[16], B[17], B[18], B[19], B[20], B[21] & B[22] do not appear to
   be animal factors but are claimed by naturopaths as human therapedic
   factors.

Health benefits

   The B vitamins often work together to deliver a number of health
   benefits to the body. B vitamins have been shown to:
     * Bolster metabolism
     * Maintain healthy skin and muscle tone
     * Enhance immune and nervous system function
     * Promote cell growth and division — including that of the red blood
       cells that help prevent anaemia.

   Together, they also help combat the symptoms and causes of stress,
   depression, and cardiovascular disease.

   All B vitamins are water soluble, and are dispersed throughout the
   body. They must be replenished daily with any excess excreted in the
   urine.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
