B Vitamins: To B or Not to B
Next on this journey into discovering what specific nutrients are essential for mental health, is B vitamins! B Vitamins are a group of 8 water soluble vitamins that are essential nutrients for optimal brain and body function. They help with a variety of tasks like DNA production, creating neurotransmitters, and have antioxidant properties. There is some research within the last decade looking at how and if B vitamins are able to promote mental health. The 8 B vitamins are: thiamin (B1), Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, Pyridoxine (B6), Folate, and Cobalamin (B12). Below, I highlight the specific B vitamins that have been linked to brain health and dietary sources of each to help you include them in your diet.
To be clear, there’s a lot about B vitamins and their role in brain health that we still do not fully understand. Science has been able to determine the minimum levels of each B vitamin required in order to prevent deficiency related diseases, but we have a poor understanding of the negative effects of levels of consumption that lie above the minimum and under the optimal level of consumption for these vitamins. All of the B vitamins are involved in generating energy that your cells need in order for other systems of your body to function. In fact, all of the B vitamins are able to cross the blood brain barrier. Side note: the blood brain barrier is a very picky border that literally separates the blood in your blood stream and the blood circulating in the brain and it only allows certain substances to cross from the blood into the brain and vice versa. This tells us that the brain needs these B vitamins for a lot of it’s functions. Let’s take a closer look at some of the specific B vitamins to see what they do for our mentals.
Thiamine (B1) helps to convert carbohydrates into energy, making this vitamin essential for glucose metabolism. It is also a necessary precursor for the production of numerous neurotransmitters. Another quick side note: neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that are in charge of our moods, digestion, muscle contractions, among lots of other things in the brain and the body. If something is labeled a precursor, it means that it is necessary in order for it to produce or manufacture what it is a precursor to (aka certain neurotransmitters would not be made without this nutrient). It’s kind of like the sun, which is a precursor to all forms of life. Without it, life just wouldn’t happen. Food sources of thiamine include fish, lentils, beans, wheat germ, nuts, and rice.
Riboflavin (B2) is essential for a very important process that occurs in our bodies billions of times every second in our cells, known as the methylation cycle. The methylation cycle is complex, but essentially, methylation is a biochemical exchange between cells that helps them manage or contribute to a range of different bodily functions like detoxification, immune function, and energy production. In it’s basic form, the transfer of methyl groups (which are 3 hydrogen atoms that are bonded to a carbon atom) from one chemical to another is methylation. Any chemical compound that has a methyl group as part of its chemical structure is capable of donating it to another chemical that needs it in order to perform a function (like detoxification). The chemical that now receives the methyl group is “methylated.” There’s a bit of a catch. There is one B vitamin that is needed that acts like a switch that turns on the system that produces the methyl donor, SAMe (we will call her “Sammy”). Because “Sammy” is a methyl donor, she gives away her methyl group of chemicals to chemicals that need it to assist in other functions. That critical B vitamin is the active form of folate called methylfolate (we will get to that later). So for now, know that Riboflavin specifically is essential in order for methylation to be effective in our bodies. Riboflavin deficiency tends to be rare, but surveys in the U.S. have found that 10-27% of adults over the age of 65 are deficient in this nutrient. And when riboflavin levels are low, it impairs the body’s ability to metabolize vitamin B6, folate, niacin and iron, all needed for mental health! Dietary sources of Riboflavin include meat and fish, eggs, legumes, mushrooms, leafy greens, and almonds. But the absolute best source of riboflavin is liver, followed by heart and kidneys, which could be a contributing factor as to why individuals are deficient in this nutrient.
Niacin (B3) helps to improve circulation, suppresses inflammation and helps the body in manufacturing various stress and sex related hormones. Niacin is also part responsible for taking tryptophan and converting it into serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for regulating social behavior, mood, digestion and appetite. Historically, low serotonin levels have been linked to depression in studies. In this way, it is likely that niacin may directly impact our moods if deficient in this nutrient. Food sources for niacin include, beets, fish, liver, eggs, milk and broccoli.
Pantothenic Acid (B5) is known to help produce and regulate many of our stress and sex related hormones. It has also been shown to help the body maintain a healthy digestive system (which we know helps maintain a healthy mental) and helps the body absorb other B vitamins, particularly B2.
Pyridoxine (B6) refers to 3 compounds: pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine. This particular B vitamin has been shown to correlate with mood. Studies have shown that higher levels of B6 are associated with a lower prevalence of depression in adolescents and that low dietary and blood levels of B6, increase the risk and severity of depression in geriatric patients. Women who take birth control are more at risk at being deficient in this nutrient. Perhaps this is why depression is experienced by so many women on birth control that previously had no history with depression or mood disorder. Dietary sources of B6 include fish, chicken, beef, spinach, legumes, and potatoes.
Folate (B9) is absolutely necessary and required for proper synthesis of DNA and the following neurotransmitters: serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Some studies have found that deficiencies in this nutrient are common among patients with mood disorders and may correlate with the severity of the mood disorder. In one study with over 2,000 Finnish men, those in the lowest one third of dietary folate consumption, had a 67% increased relative risk of depression. Additionally, a meta-analysis of 11 studies of over 15,000 people found that those who had low folate levels had a significant risk of depression. There’s just one caveat. In order for folate to be used in the brain, it must be converted via the methylation process to L-methylfolate. Some preliminary studies have shown that augmentation with L-methylfolate can be an effective additional strategy for treating depression in those individuals who aren’t as efficient methylaters. Dietary sources of folate include leafy greens and legumes.
Cobalamin (B12) is an essential cofactor (meaning it assists in helping other process of the body work) and is needed to produce dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. It also helps maintain myelin, known as the protective sheath around our nerve fibers, helping it to conduct messages between our nerves. Myelin is in charge of our motor movements like walking and running, anything that is sensory, like seeing and hearing, and super important for our cognition. The stronger and healthier your myelin, the better your nervous system functions, and the better your nervous system functions, the better everything in your brain and body functions. It has been found that about one third of depressed patients are deficient in this nutrient and that deficiency compromises an antidepressant response. This is important to be mindful of for those individuals on antidepressant medications. In some studies, depression, irritability, agitation, psychosis and obsessive symptoms have been associated with a deficiency in this nutrient. It’s important to note that in order to get the benefits of B12, you need enough stomach acid to help cleave the proteins and to get it linked with a coupling protein called intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor helps B12 get absorbed into our blood stream and ready for use for our cells. A lot of times low B12 is not just about low dietary intake, but about absorption in the gut. Making sure your digestion is working properly is key before modifying your diet and making any drastic changes. Dietary sources of B12 include fish, dairy products, meat, oysters, mussels and clams, and chicken and beef liver (sorry not sorry). And one more thing: blood levels of B12 don’t necessarily reflect how much B12 is in your tissues. Ask your doctor to include a serum homocysteine level as well as methylmalconic acid (MMA) markers to really see if you are deficient in this nutrient.
Mental health is multi-dimensional and multi-faceted with many different potential causes and factors contributing to the condition. In the recent decade, it is becoming more clear that certain nutritional deficiencies can make individuals more vulnerable to cognitive decline, aging, inflammation, and mood disorders like depression and anxiety. There is not yet enough clinical research to help support the supplementation of these vitamins on it’s own as a therapy, however, giving your body and mental these vitamins may assist in promoting mental wellness. If we are striving for mental, physical, and emotional health, there is no magic pill that will satisfy this goal. It is a multi-dimensional approach that will always be more effective and sustainable. Our brains and physical bodies are a complex system and modifying your diet to include colorful fruits and vegetables, fiber, protein, and healthy fats will help support your mental health and well being. In particular, B vitamins are absolutely something we need to pay attention to if we want to support our mental and emotional health and well-being. As always, please consult your doctor if you want to experiment with B vitamin supplements. I would encourage you to strive towards getting most of your vitamins and minerals from food as vegetables and fruit are primary sources of these constituents. Supplements tend to be unnecessary unless there is a true deficiency.
References
https://www.thepaleomom.com/wiki/vitamin-b3-niacin/
http://vuir.vu.edu.au/32892/1/01052017124229-0001.pdf
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/kc/serotonin-facts-232248
https://www.thorne.com/take-5-daily/article/what-is-methylation-and-why-should-you-care-about-it
Kennedy D. O. (2016). B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy--A Review. Nutrients, 8(2), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8020068
