Vitamin B is a complex of several vitamins. The name arises because it was once considered a single vitamin, much like Vitamin C or Vitamin D. Since later research has shown it is in fact a complex of chemically distinct vitamins that happen to often coexist in the same foods, the name has gradually declined in use, being replaced by the generic term "the B vitamins", the vitamin B complex, or by the specific names of each vitamin.
The B vitamins are:
Several other substances which are not human vitamins have been referred to as B vitamins. These include:
- Vitamin B-4 (Adenine)
- Vitamin B-7* — more commonly called Vitamin I
- Vitamin B-8 (Ergadenylic acid)
- Vitamin B-10, also Vitamin R (Pteroylmonoglutamic acid mixed with other B vitamins)
- Vitamin B-11, also Vitamin S
- Vitamin B-13 (Pyrimidinecarboxylic acid or orotic acid, often misspelled erotic acid)
- Vitamin B-14 — a mixture of B-10 and B-11
- Vitamin B-15 (Pangamic acid )
- Vitamin B-16
- Vitamin B-17 (Amygdalin)
- Vitamin B-22, often claimed as an ingredient of Aloe vera extracts
- Vitamin B-c, another name for Vitamin B-9 (Folic acid)
- Vitamin B-h (Inositol)
- Vitamin B-t (L-Carnitine)
- Vitamin B-w, another name for Vitamin B-7 (Biotin)
- Vitamin B-x, also PABA (Para-Aminobenzoic acid)
In addition to coexisting in the same foods, the B vitamins often work together to bolster metabolism, maintain healthy skin and muscle tone, enhance immune and nervous system function, and promote cell growth and division — including that of the red blood cells that help prevent anemia.
Together they also help combat the symptoms and causes of stress, depression, and cardiovascular disease.
All B vitamins are water soluble, and are dispersed throughout the body and must be replenished daily with any excess excreted in the urine.
Brewer's yeast is a good source of Vitamin B.
Source material
Linda Clark's "Know your Nutrition": ISBN 0879834013