What’s the deal with activated B vitamins?
You might know that B vitamins are essential for the healthy functioning of our body and energy production and even play a significant role in migraine prevention and mental health.
You might have also heard about activated B vitamins.
An activated or active B vitamin is a B vitamin in its bioavailable form. In other words, it is better absorbed by our bodies.
Most cheap, inexpensive vitamins we can buy over the counter or off the shelf at a vitamin store or supermarket contain a much less expensive and non-bioavailable form of vitamin B.
Inactive forms of vitamin B need to be converted to active forms of vitamin B for the body to benefit from it. This process is called methylation.
If our body does not convert those B vitamins, it will eliminate them. (Hence the term “expensive urine” when we talk about cheaper supplements.)
So, why would we want to look for activated B vitamins?
As we age, we lose the ability to convert B vitamins to their active form. Other things that affect methylation are stress, medications, caffeine, sugar and refined carbohydrates, which deplete B vitamins, increasing our body’s requirement.
Some of us also have methylation issues due to our genetics (you may have heard of the MTHFR gene variant, which relates to the ability to methylate B vitamins.)
So, you can already see that activated B vitamins are more effective.
What’s more, if we are unable to convert B vitamins efficiently, we may have metabolites from the synthetic/non-active forms, which can actually cause harm if these metabolites build up in the body over time.
Why are B vitamins important? When I was studying nutrition, the B vitamin group were the first vitamin studied of all the vitamins – and we had a whole semester on them. This indicates the many roles and importance of B vitamins.
Let’s look into the role that B vitamins play in the body:
Essential for healthy nervous system function
Vital for the immune system
Supports healthy mood, behaviour and mental health
Energy production
Gut health and a healthy microbiome
Migraine and headache prevention
Why do many supplements have non-active B vitamins? Generally, non-active or synthetic forms are cheaper and sometimes more shelf-stable.
Unfortunately, it is often easier to find the inactive form of vitamins in supplements or fortified foods. Many prenatal supplements and wheat products are fortified with inactivated vitamins.
A word of warning – be careful self-prescribing activated B vitamins. In some people, it can be too much of a good thing at once. They are best taken under the care of a professional trained in this area (such as a naturopath or nutritionist).
Especially if you have the gene variant I mentioned before.
How do I know if I am genetically predisposed to have difficulty converting B vitamins to their active form? We can now test the methylation gene variant SNPs involved through genomic testing. I can arrange this for you as a naturopath if you are curious. Having the MTHFR gene variant is implicated in the following:
Migraine
Histamine metabolism (also can result in
migraine attacks)
Zinc and copper deficiencies
High heavy metals
Cardiovascular conditions
Addictions
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Oppositional defiance
Pain tolerance
Perfectionism
Social isolation
Food sensitivities
Anxiety and depression
Restless legs
Libido extremes (high or low)
Sleep disorders
What about food?
In most cases, food sources of Vitamin B will be more bioavailable than synthetic versions. Or they may require fewer steps in the body to be converted (for example, natural folate still needs to go through one methylation step to become bioavailable). So obtaining our vitamins from food is generally excellent. If your dietary intake of B vitamins is insufficient or if you require a higher therapeutic dosage of these vitamins for specific health conditions like migraine, then as a practitioner, I would recommend a high-quality activated B vitamin or complex supplement for you.