Are You Getting Enough Vitamin B?Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010 Vitamins are chemical compounds the body cannot make itself and that must therefore be supplied. Besides fat, carbohydrates, proteins (amino acids), minerals and trace elements, we must ingest these with our foods or with supplements. A normal level of serum vitamin B does not guarantee adequacy, methylmalonic acid concentrations (either serum or urine) are a much more reliable metabolic measure of vitamin B metabolism. People following a pure vegetarian (vegan) diet are at high risk (>50%) for metabolicvitamin B deficiency. Plant foods contain little if any active vitamin B; produce grown in soil fertilized with cow dung may contain more B than commercially grown produce.Other good B vitamin sources are: baked potato, banana, spinach, soybeans, wheat germ, cantaloupe, tuna in water, navy beans, bok choy, avocado, sunflower seeds, chicken breast, turnip greens etc. Probiotic supplements are not a sufficient source of vitamin B; some products work better than others.A deficiency of vitamins B can increase your risk of heart disease. They help keep a substance called homocysteine in check by breaking it down. If the homocysteine levels go too high, your blood may clot easier which increases the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke. Like it? Share it!More by this author |