Best B vitamins to boost mood, brain power and happiness

Can popping a vitamin pill help cure mental health problems? For people who lack vitamin B and show symptoms of mental illness as a result, this may be the case.

All of the B group vitamins affect brain function, mental sharpness and mood. Research shows that folate and vitamins B6 and B12 might be particularly vital. Some studies show a link between memory problems and Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly and low levels of B12, for example.

Mild deficiencies of B vitamins can badly affect mental health. Severe deficiencies are linked to serious mental illnesses such as severe depression.

This article discusses vitamins B6, B12 and folate.

What are the B vitamins?
Increase serotonin with vitamin B6
Feel good with folate
Boost B12 for brain health

What are the B vitamins?

Below is a list of the B vitamins with other names they are called.

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
• Vitamin B3 (niacin and nicotinamide)
• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine)
• Vitamin B7 (biotin and vitamin H)
• Vitamin B9 (often called folic acid (a synthetic version of vitamin B9), folate (naturally occurring vitamin B9) and, sometimes, vitamin M)
• Vitamin B12 (various cobalamins, often called cyanocobalamin in vitamin supplements)

Increase serotonin with vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is needed to make most of the brain’s neurotransmitters, including serotonin. These chemicals are vital for happiness.

What are some symptoms of lack of vitamin B6?

• Depression
• Nervousness
• Irritability
• Acne
• Abnormal brain wave pattern and conduction of nerve impulses
• Convulsive seizures (fits)
• Dermatitis
• Flaky skin
• Immune system problems – problems forming antibodies
• Poor dream recall
• Insomnia (sleeplessness)
• Lack of energy
• Muscle tremors, cramps and/or weakness
• Dizziness
• Tingling hands
• Water retention

Who is most at risk of having low levels of vitamin B6?

• People who often drink high levels of alcohol
• Women on the birth control pill, especially the pill with estrogen
• People with diabetes
• Elderly people
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• People with a malabsorption problem, such as lactose intolerance or celiac disease
• People with vitamin B6 dependent syndromes
• People with kidney failure
• People with thyroid disease (overactive thyroid gland)
• People taking medications that inactivate vitamin B6

What foods are good sources of vitamin B6?

Good sources of vitamin B6 include:

• Vegemite
• walnuts
• bananas
• lamb’s liver
• chicken
• egg yolks
• potatoes

Feel good with folate

Folate is important to stay alert, be happy, focus well and have a good memory. It helps the body lower blood levels of homocysteine. This is important because too much of this chemical can damage brain cells.

What are some symptoms of lack of folate?

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Tension
• Diarrhea
• Poor memory
• Cracked lips
• Eczema
• Lack of energy
• Weakness
• Poor appetite
• Prematurely greying hair
• Stomach pains
• A red and inflamed tongue
• Very pale skin

Who is most at risk of having low levels of folate?

• Women on the birth control pill
• People who often drink a lot of alcohol
• Pregnant women
• Young people whose diet is mainly junk food
• Elderly people in institutions
• People with malabsorption syndromes
• People with gastrointestinal (gut) diseases
• People on certain medications, such as the antitumor drug methotrexate, antimalarial drug pyrimethamine, antibiotic trimethoprim, sedatives and barbituates

What foods are good sources of folate?

Foods high in folate include:

• cabbage
• lamb’s liver
• spinach and other green leafy vegetables
• breakfast cereals with folate added
• peanuts
• peas
• egg yolks

Boost B12 for brain health

Vitamin B12 has a number of roles including helping form the fatty covering, called the myelin sheath, around nerve cells. The myelin sheath must remain intact for the nerves to work properly. Low levels of B12 in the body can badly affect this sheath, which can become undone. This means nerve impulses won’t be sent properly, so we can’t think as well as we should.

Some senior citizens absorb little vitamin B12 from their food, so are deficient in this nutrient. A lack of vitamin B12 can present similar signs to Alzheimer’s disease, so what is thought to be to aging or mild strokes can sometimes be caused by a lack of this key vitamin. In such cases supplements of vitamin B12 have reversed the symptoms.

What are some symptoms of lack of vitamin B12?

• Anxiety
• Depression/low mood
• Tension
• Irritability
• Mental slowness
• Memory loss
• Dementia
• Nerve damage
• Feeling too tired
• Weakness
• Tender or sore muscles
• Tingling and/or stiff arms and legs
• Constipation
• Stomach pain
• Eczema or dermatitis
• Mouth over sensitive to hot or cold
• Sore tongue
• Poor hair condition
• A tendency to bleed
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Pale skin
• Lemon yellow skin color (a sign of severe lack of vitamin B12)

Who is most at risk of having low levels of vitamin B12?

• Strict vegetarians (vegans) because vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods
• Women who are pregnant or breast feeding
• Newborn infants of vegan mothers
• People who often drink high amounts of alcohol
• Elderly people
• People with methylmalonic acidaemia, which is an inherited defect in vitamin B12 metabolism

What foods are good sources of vitamin B12?

Only animal products contain vitamin B12. The following foods are good sources of vitamin B12:

• lamb’s liver
• sardines
• oysters
• egg yolks
• fish

Summary

B vitamins are vital for happiness. Ensure you get enough of them to avoid symptoms of mental illness that might actually be signs of vitamin B deficiency.

written by Nyomi Graef

updated 15 October, 2012

References:
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http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/

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Wahlqvist, ML, (Ed.), 1988, Food and Nutrition in Australia (3rd ed.), Melbourne, Australia: Thomas Nelson