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B Vitamins – The Stress Vitamins?
Written by Wellness Club on August 30, 2010 – 10:10 am -B Vitamins – Are They Best For Stress?
By Nurse Mark
We live in a stressful world – of that there is no doubt. So, what can we do about it? Is there some vitamin or herb that we can take that will help us to handle the daily demands that stress places upon our bodies?
Many people have heard that the B Vitamins are “Stress Vitamins” and indeed, many vitamin formulas include varying amounts of different B Vitamins and tout themselves as being “Stress Formulas.”
So, what’s the scoop?
Ann recently wrote to ask about this:
B-12 and B-6 – Would both of these be recommended / helpful during high stress periods? Thank you
And Dr. Myatt replied:
Hi Ann:
Thanks for your question about B complex vitamins and stress.
The body needs B vitamins — ALL B vitamins, not just B6 and B12 — every day.
These are “water soluble” vitamins and they “exit” the body quickly so they need to be replaced through food and supplements every day. And yes, stress increases the body’s need for these important nutrients.
Do you need more B6 when under stress?
I don’t recommend taking an isolated B vitamin or two because the entire B complex works together. If a person needs extra B vitamins, take an entire B complex supplement. Learn about the B complex vitamins here.
If you are taking Maxi Multi as directed (3 caps, 3 times per day), then you are already getting optimal daily doses
of all B complex vitamins. The potencies of B complex vitamins are generous in Maxi Multi; you shouldn’t have to take
an extra supplement.
If you are taking a different multiple, then all bets are off and you might want to add our B complex supplements to your program. I’d take one cap, 2 times per day with breakfast and dinner (minimum), or add a third one in at lunch. Because they are water soluble vitamins, they should be taken several times per day to keep blood levels optimal.
The one exception to the “don’t take B vitamins separately” rule to consider when under stress is vitamin B12.
Vitamin B 12 is poorly absorbed orally, which means you probably won’t be getting much of a dose from your multiple or even a B complex formula.
For B12, I recommend a sublingual (dissolves under the tongue) which goes into the bloodstream directly.
B-Extreme is a sublingual formula that has all 4 forms of vitamin B12. It is the only B12 product I’ve found that contains the two rarer forms of B12, adenosylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin in addition to the more common methylcobalamin and cyanocobalamin.
One of these per day will help ensure that your entire B complex vitamin supply is healthy and helping your nerves function properly even when stress is higher.
The B vitamins will help keep your body healthy during stress, but they don’t usually produce any notice calming effect to help you handle the stress mentally. For calming anxiety during the day and improving sleep at night, my recommended formula is called “Kavinace.”
Kavinace is an amino acid formula supports the body’s production of the calming neurotransmitters including GABA.
THIS STUFF WORKS! Start with just one cap. If you don’t notice the desired effect, increase to 2 caps per dose. This can be used during the day to help with stress or at bedtime to improve sleep.
Hope this helps, Ann. Let me know how it goes!
In Health,
Dr. Myatt
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