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Summary
The B vitamins are:
- B1 (thiamine)
- B2 (riboflavin)
- B3 (niacin)
- B5 (pantothenic acid)
- B6
- B7 (biotin)
- B12
- Folic acid
These vitamins help the process your body uses to get or make energy from the food you eat. They also help form red blood cells. You can get B vitamins from proteins such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Leafy green vegetables, beans, and peas also have B vitamins. Many cereals and some breads have added B vitamins.
Not getting enough of certain B vitamins can cause diseases. A lack of B12 or B6 can cause anemia.
Diagnosis and Tests
- Homocysteine Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Methylmalonic Acid (MMA) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin B Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Niacin to Improve Cholesterol Numbers (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin B-12 and Depression: Are They Related? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin B12-Deficiency Anemia (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin Deficiency Anemia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Genetics
- Transcobalamin deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Biotin (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Niacin (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Riboflavin (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Thiamine (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Vitamin B Complex (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Bidirectional Two-Sample, Two-Step Mendelian Randomisation Study Reveals Mediating Role of Gut...
- Article: Dietary fibers boost gut microbiota-produced B vitamin pool and alter host...
- Article: Molecular Mechanisms Linking Genes and Vitamins of the Complex B Related...
- B Vitamins -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Food and Drug Administration
- Food and Nutrition Information Center
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements
Patient Handouts
- Beriberi (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Niacin (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Pantothenic acid and biotin (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Pellagra (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Riboflavin (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Thiamin (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin B12 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin B12 level (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin B6 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish