"Vitamin B" refers to all eight of the essential B vitamins. Each one has a unique role in supporting your health, including converting the food you eat into energy your body can use. A vitamin B complex supplement contains all eight in a single tablet, which makes it a straightforward way to get sufficient levels of the different B vitamins your body relies on every day.
B vitamins are water-soluble, so your body only holds onto small amounts of them at a time (vitamin B12 is the exception, as your liver keeps a reserve). This is why a regular daily intake matters, and it's also why you'll find B vitamins in such a wide range of everyday foods.
What does each B vitamin do?
· Thiamine (B1) contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, and supports the normal function of the heart and nervous system.
· Riboflavin (B2) helps maintain normal skin, vision and red blood cells, and plays a role in protecting cells from oxidative stress.
· Niacin (B3) helps maintain normal skin, supports normal psychological function, and contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
· Pantothenic acid (B5) supports normal mental performance and plays a role in the normal synthesis of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters.
· Vitamin B6 contributes to normal red blood cell formation and the regulation of hormonal activity, and supports the normal function of the immune system.
· Biotin (B7) helps maintain normal hair and skin, and supports normal psychological function.
· Folate (B9) contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy and to normal blood formation, and has a role in the process of cell division.
· Vitamin B12 supports normal red blood cell formation and the normal functioning of the nervous system, and contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
You can read more about each one in our individual guides.
Who should take a vitamin B complex supplement?
Most people can get the B vitamins they need through a balanced, varied diet. But there are a few situations where a vitamin B complex supplement can be useful.
Folate, for example, is especially important if you're pregnant or planning to be. The NHS recommends taking 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, ideally starting before you conceive and continuing until you're 12 weeks pregnant. Vitamin B12 is also important during pregnancy, so it's worth speaking to your midwife or GP about what you need.
If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, getting enough vitamin B12 takes a bit more planning, as it's found almost exclusively in animal products like meat, eggs and dairy. So, if you avoid these, you'll usually need to get it from fortified foods or a supplement.
If you're over 65, your body becomes less efficient at absorbing vitamin B12 as you age, so a vitamin B complex supplement is a simple way to keep your levels healthy.
And if you have a condition that affects nutrient absorption, such as coeliac disease or Crohn's disease, it's worth speaking to your GP or pharmacist about whether a vitamin B complex supplement would help.
Which foods contain B vitamins?
B vitamins are found across a wide range of foods, and eating a balanced, varied diet is the best way to get all the essential nutrients you need. You'll find them in beef, pork, fish, organ meats, milk, cheese and yoghurt, alongside plant sources like leafy greens, avocados, nuts, legumes, mushrooms, and whole grains. Enriched and fortified breads and cereals are useful too, particularly for vitamin B12 if you eat a plant-based diet.
If you're concerned that you're not getting enough vitamin B, your GP can arrange a blood test to check your levels.
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