if you've been doing everything right eating clean exercising but somehow you're still not feeling your best your Energy's dragging your memory is slipping and it's frustrating because you know there's more to your potential well what if the issue isn't just in your routine but it's deep down inside your cells you know you're investing in the best supplements working out regularly and sticking to a clean diet but if your cells are stuck in what's called cell danger response all the hard work might not be paying off as it should think of yourselves like a house under
renovation you can bring in the highest quality materials like the best supplements in clean foods but if the workers inside the house or are on lockdown because of a storm nothing gets done the materials just pile up unused that's what happens when your cells are in CDR they can't fully use the good stuff you're giving them getting out of CDR the cell danger response is the key to unlocking your body's full potential when your cells are no longer in protective mode they can finally use the nutrients hormones and energy you're working so hard to provide
that's when everything starts to click your energy improves your workouts become more efficient and you start to feel like yourself again go to Beyond bloodwork decom to learn how to break free from cell danger response and make the effort [Music] payoff hey everyone welcome to Dr Josh ax show I am your host Dr Axe and each and every week on the show we dive deep into the science and principles behind how to heal and grow in Body Mind and Spirit on today's episode I'm going to be discussing B vitamins this is an essential group that
numerous people are deficient in and these nutrients are very responsible for supporting cellular energy so if you are tired and F fued all the time there's a good chance this is part of your issue if you have hypothyroidism if you have Hashimoto thyroiditis if you have an issue related to brain health if you have an issue related to your metabolism and weight gain B vitamins are critical and today I'm going to be going through exactly how to get your B vitamin levels up which is going to support your energy your hormones and a whole lot
more before I dive in though make sure to subscribe to the podcast and sign up for my weekly Wellness newsletter where you're also going to get a lot of these show notes and so if you want uh some guides and you want to know exactly how to heal and transform your health make sure to sign up for that Weekly Newsletter you can find in the show notes and don't forget to subscribe okay so B vitamins there's lots of them um and by the way I'm going to go through some former B vitamins that have been
kicked off the B vitamin L have you ever noticed when you can up get B1 B2 B3 B5 what happen to B4 or or B5 B6 what happened to B7 we jump all the way in B8 we jump all the way to B9 I'm going to be going through how some of these other former B vitamins are lesser known but also essential to your health and generally B vitamins as I mentioned they're important for energy production nerve function and the formation of red blood cells and without enough B vitamins your body struggles to convert food
into energy and maintain healthy brain liver and nervous system function and I want to go through some of these B vitamins and share with you the ones you might be deficient and the first one here is vitamin B1 also known as thomine this helps convert carbohydrates into energy and support your metabolism it's also important for the functioning of your heart muscle so B1 is important for that vitamin B2 also known as riboflavin this plays a key role in breaking down fats proteins and carbohydrates into energy and also helps in the fight against oxidative stress and
it's important for cellular function I want to tell you a quick story I used to do triathlons I was on a triathlon team in college and I had this issue where I kept getting Li headed and I went in and did a blood test called a nutrient deficiency test or or a organic acids test and the only thing that came back that I was deficient in was vitamin B2 I started taking it and all of a sudden my lightheadedness went completely away and there's a lot of people right now that have weakness they have fatigue
they're not sleeping they've got nervous system issues uh they've got thyroid issues and they might be one single vitamin away from curing the issue that's the reality and there are so many people today with B vitamin deficiencies now the next one here is vitamin B3 known as niin this is critical for heart health it's also critical for cholesterol management it helps improve blood cholesterol levels whenever I've had patients come in with high cholesterol I tend to prescribe them A B complex or a no flush nasin um and along with CoQ10 omega-3 fats and a few
in a very anti-inflammatory diet but uh nin is one of the things I typically prescribe and recommend it's also important for DNA repair um and the production of sex and stress hormones so B3 is very very important for blood flow circulation heart health cholesterol management especially um the next one here is vitamin B5 known as pantothenic acid this is very important for adrenal Health if you have adrenal issues or cortisol issues you want to make sure your vitamin B5 levels are normal and healthy also co-enzyme a it's important for so for fat metabolism and blood
Health but primarily B5 think adrenal Health cortisol and energy levels vitamin B6 known as perod doxine this supports brain and neurological Health also neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine and immune function now B6 the people I see the greatest deficiency with B6 are women that are pregnant if you get morning sickness and you feel very very sick it tends to be a combination of a vitamin B6 and a magnesium deficiency and so before if you are planning on getting pregnant or are pregnant you want to start taking B6 and magnesium typically in slightly higher doses before
okay or during because again if not it will lead to Major morning sickness so B6 is very very important for that and it's all it's important for a number of other things as well such as methylation so as bitamin Vitamin B B2 and B3 as well B9 and 12 might be even more important but those are it it is important for that as well next is vitamin B7 known as biotin which which is sort of interesting some people consider biotin a B vitamin and some people don't okay some people kicked it off the list some
people kept it on the list but what biotin does is it supports the health of your skin hair and nails more than anything okay so it supports your skin hair and nails along with um the digestion and breakdown of certain fats and proteins which is partly why also with what your nails are made up of primary collagen um of why supports the health of of those areas vitamin B9 known as folate or folic acid this is crucial for DNA production and cell division it helps the formation of red blood cells and it prevents birth defects
okay so vitamin B9 also crucial during pregnancy and important for energy production and cellular Health if your cells are sick or you're aging too quickly can also be due to a vitamin B9 deficiency or folate deficiency and then vitamin B12 known as uh cobalamin okay uh this is important for red blood cell production for preventing anemia it supports nervous system it supports DNA synthesis it's very important for cellular energy in fact B12 is often times called the energy vitamin because it's the single most important vitamin for your energy levels it's also important for adrenal function
and b12 of all the B vitamins on this list is probably the one that people are most deficient in overall now folate is also very high on that list but I really think B12 is the highest now I want to mention a few other B vitamins that have been kicked off of the list and the most important one of those is known as choline choline was vitamin B4 and it supports your memory your mood your muscle control it also is crucial for liver function it helps fat metabolism and prevents fat accumulation in the liver so
it's critical for detoxification it's critical for brain health it's also critical for your cell membrane Integrity if you want have healthy cells and and age more slowly choline is also important and choline was once considered part of the B complex family of vitamins and was referred to as as I mentioned vitamin B4 however it was later reclassified because it did not meet the full criteria as a vitamin so in order for something to be called a vitamin that's defined as an essential nutrient that the body cannot synthesize in its in in sufficient quantities on its
own so it must be obtained via diet now that doesn't mean though that a lot of people aren't choline deficient your body can synthesize and create some choline however if your gut microbiome isn't healthy and your liver isn't healthy you you likely cannot you're not producing enough Coline on its own so then that's going to affect your cell membrane that's going to affect your brain that's going to affect your liver and cause some of those side effects so I I recommend Most B complexes if they're high quality most of them will contain some form of
choline in it as well um again though it's not considered a B vitamin it is still very much like a B vitamin in many of its functions and importance to the body um a few others I just want to mention to vitamin B8 which is no longer B8 but it's inl uh uh in oal was originally considered part of the B complex family this is important for sleep if you're not sleeping at night it could be insle ba8 insle is very important for sleep and brain and neurological Health as well so those are the two
most important uh B vitamins that I think were kicked off the list that probably should still that we should still consider getting in our diet or as a supplement now I want to talk about a study published in the American journal of clinical nutrition it found that deficiencies and B vitamins especially B6 B9 and b12 can lead to significant health problems including anemia and cognitive decline and low energy levels and and we see this constantly where people have low energy and this is due to your cells and your thyroid and your adrenals are the primary
organs and reasons why you feel tired all the time B12 B6 are probably the most important because b6 and b12 uh support your red blood cells carrying oxygen to the body so again they're very important for that um also as I I did mention nerve problems b6 and b12 are there again they're crucial for the function of your nerve system a lot of people that have nerve degeneration especially diabetics that get that poly neuropathy they get that neuropathy and lose feeling and and function of their feet is due to b6 and b12 deficiencies and by
the way metformin certain drugs can make that worse a few other side effects again here here are the by the way here are the top 10 signs you've got a B vitamin deficiency number one is fatigue and low energy number one sign you've got a vitamin B deficiency and this tends to be coupled with issues like hypothyroidism and low testosterone or adrenal fatigue number two if your skin is pale that's a warning sign of B vitamin deficiency nerve problems like tingling or pins and needles in areas cognitive issues like memory loss mouth sores or cracked
lips muscle weakness mood changes or depression have been all linked to B6 B9 and b12 Vision issues hair thinning or hair loss this is really connected to B7 known as Biotin and then digestive issues um can also sometimes be tied to this though it's not the most common but again fatigue is the biggest one if you've got low energy levels it tends to be a b you you you tend to have a B vitamin deficiency somewhere within your body now here's a few medical conditions also associated with B vitamin deficiency anemia um and this could
also be megga blastic anemia that's associated with B12 and B9 deficiency thyroid issues neuropathy cognitive decline in cardiovascular disease especially elevated homo homocysteine levels which can be connected to low B6 and sometimes vitamin B3 as well now I want to go through the role of medications in B vitamin deficiency did you know that there are numerous medications to deplete your body of B vitamins the first is me Forin a study published in the journal of clinical endocrinology and Metabolism noted that long-term use of Metformin has been linked to a 30% increase risk in dropping vitamin
B12 levels so almost every patient I've ever seen that had diabetes and that was on Metformin long term had a vitamin B12 deficiency also oral contraceptives known as birth control depletes your body of B6 B9 and b12 proton Inhibitors B12 H2 blockers diuretics deplete your body of B1 antibiotics deplete your body of almost every B vitamin but especially B9 anti-seizure medications statin drugs deplete your body of B9 ACE inhibitors and antidepressants deplete your body heavily of vitamin B6 so we know that if you're taking a conventional medication your likelihood of having a B vitamin deficiency
is even higher I also want to mention one of the biggest things that causes B deficiencies is emotional stress in particular vitamin B5 because that's connected to the adrenal glands and vitamin B6 so if you know you're under very very very heavy bouts of stress you probably want to take a b complex vitamin hey everyone Dr Josh ax here listen if you're struggling with restless nights and daily stress I have a revolutionary solution for you I'm talking about the soultech system which has been expertly designed to transform the way way you sleep and manage dress
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you can get a you you tend to be fine with B12 but when we have vegans or vegetarians that don't get much protein via plants we tend to have major issues B12 is only found in animal products okay so if you're a vegan or a vegetarian you almost always want to supplement with a B complex or a B12 supplement by the way older adults also have lower levels of B vitamins especially B12 women that are pregnant in breastfeeding tend to have lower levels of B9 and B6 according to a study published in the American journal
of clinical nutrition people would digest digestive disorders like inflammatory bowel disease IBS Crohn's colitis or leaky gut syndrome have lower levels of B vitamins especially B12 and so you want to make sure if you have any of those conditions you supplement with a B complex or make sure you're getting more foods that are high in B vitamins now there are common tests where you can test to see if you have B vitamin deficiencies one test is a micro nutrient test or organic acids test that can look for B vitamin deficiencies serum B12 test this measures
the level of vitamin B12 in your blood a folate not known as a B9 test this measures folate levels in your blood crucial for red blood cell formation and a homosysteine test when it's elevated homocysteine levels indicate deficiencies in B6 B9 and b12 now one thing a lot of people don't realize is in order to absorb certain vitamins and nutrients you need other vitamins and nutrients if you want to fully absorb B vitamins the most critical nutrient of all is good bacteria it's probiotics that is absolutely essential for supporting good bacteria okay so often times
if you've got low B vitamin levels what's even more important than taking a b complex is taking a probiotic the next one there is magnesium you need magnesium to activate and work with B6 for absorption if you're low in vitamin B6 another one is zinc zinc is important for the metabolism of vitamin B12 and the absorption of B12 and then vitamin C also works for the absorption of folate so you want to make sure not only you're taking supplements but you're eating foods that are going to have that you want to make sure you're eating
a diet that is very nutrient dense a lot of fruits a lot of vegetables a lot of organic meats and a lot of probiotic rich foods now here are some natural ways to boost your B vitamin levels with Foods number one is consume organic meat especially red meat and consuming organ Meats like liver now you can take liver C tablets or capsules you can do chicken lver you can also do a lot of red meat like bison and lamb um and beef the next thing would be eggs uh specifically egg yolks are high and choline
in certain B vitamins salmon is a great source of B1 B2 B3 b6 and b12 um dairy products like raw cheeses and then fermented dairy like yogurt and kefir are really good options especially doing raw fermented dairy from your local farmers market green vegetables especially dark green leafies are spinach and kale especially if they're steamed are very high in B vitamins beans are good um and then fermented foods sauerkraut kimchi cavass um as we mentioned yogurt and kefir earlier these are all miso these are all going to help boost up those B vit levels now
I also want to mention that the form of B vitamins you take are important B vitamins are better if they're taken in their methylated form okay you want to take an enzyme activated or methylated form that is a higher quality listen if you run out to your local drug store CVS or wherever and buy those B vitamins I I think that most of the brands carried in drugstores are garbage you're better off not even taking them you want to go and buy a brand that is Whole Food based let Whole Food based vitamins are going
to be something like ancient nutrition or Garden of Life or longevity RX they're they they're there you want to flip over the bottle and it should say you know it should say amberry it should say spinach it should say probiotics it should say food on the label okay so when you're buying a brand of vitamins you want to look for methylated nutrients enzyme activated nutrients that are in their whole food form and there are many people that have the MTHFR Gene variant that uh doesn't allow them to convert the methyl the the folate that they
consume in food into methylfolate which is what your cells need and your organs need in order to actually make it usable okay imagine that when you eat certain foods it gives you the car it gives you everything but the wheels okay everything but the tires and wheels then once it gets in your body we got to put those wheels on okay that's what it's like is you're taking a be vitamin it's like consuming a car you need something to be running through your body but it doesn't give you Wheels most people can put the wheels
on 60% of people 40% of people who have this variation their body isn't putting the wheels on so then they have this thing that they can't do anything with okay versus when you take a methylated B vitamin it gives you the car with the wheels okay so you don't need to add it on it's already good to go so so for a lot of you you're better off taking a methylated B vitamin a methylated multi or your supplements need to have especially the B B9 the B6 the B9 B12 have those in their methylated forms
okay now I do want to say for most people like taking a liver supplement or an organ supplement is really really fantastic for um for for the because it has other nutrients as well they're important for methylation if you're a person and you're low and B vitamins here's what I would suggest number one I'm going to surprise you with this the number one thing you should take is a probiotic it's not even a B complex I think the number one thing most of you guys should take is a is a probiotic because it's critical the
absorption there are studies that show anywhere from a 40 to a 50% increase in the actual absorption of the B B vitamins you're getting from your food if you take a probiotic supplement that's number one number two is take a b complex supplement okay ideally that has some methylated or enzyme activated or real nutrients in it number three is a is a is a liver or a organ supplement okay that has things like liver kidney heart in it you want to take an organ supplement and those are the top three if you've got B vitamin
issues you take those three you take a good highd do probiotic especially with soy based organisms you take a methyl B complex you take a liver organ supplement you're going to feel night and day difference it's going to help tremendously a few other things that are good for supporting B vitamin levels stinging nettles ashwagandha trifala uh astragalus some of these herbs have high B vitamins but also they work with your body to absorb nutrients and they and they support your cellular your cells in creating working with those B vitamins to create cellular energy riola Ros
is another good one so there are some herbals and foods that are good for that as well so I want to reference a powerful study here on probiotics to prove my point this was a study done and they looked at Vitamin B1 B3 B5 and b12 levels when somebody took not only a B vitamin supplement but they took a probiotic supplement with it by the way this wasn't even a highd do probiotic supplement this was simply uh a lact lactobacillus strain supplement now this was this was an animal study but they found an increased rate
rate of absorption between 15 and 71% think about that some people had nearly a or over a 70% increase in absorption from taking this lowd do single strain probiotic supplement with the B vitamins now imagine if you take a high dose super high quality probiotic supplement it could increase your absorption rate by over 100% in all likelihood so so the reality is taking a probiotic supplement with your vitamins can do wonders okay so it's important that again and I would say especially if you've got gutter digestive issues with this or or a medical condition like
a thyroid issue or autoimmune disease you absolutely want to take a probiotic with it as well so remember this B vitamins are crucial most people have a B vitamin deficiency they have what at least one of those vitamins they're deficient in you can go and get a blood test done like a micronutrient test it's a great test to look at it you can test for homoy you can test for B12 that's a great way to know but also just look at your symptoms do you have low energy do you have hypothyroidism do you are you
on one of those medications we talked about if so consider taking at the very least a probiotic and a b complex supplement with methylated nutrients it could absolutely be a game Cher for you and for your health hey I want to say thanks so much for tuning in here to the Dr Josh a show I hope you'd enjoy this episode on B vitamins this is part of my series on vitamins and nutrients I've covered vitamin D and magnesium and zinc and so many others if you haven't listened to those go back and listen I think
it'll be eye openening and it's always great to be educated right so now you can help others get well as well hey thanks so much for subscribing liking and sharing this podcast remember the more you subscribe the more you share I'm more able to bring on higher profile guests the Carrie Underwoods and the mark Heyman and will koh's and these amazing people I've had on the show so many times before and also again when you share this you're you're on Mission with me you're helping change the world so thanks so much for that I'll see
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