Are You Lacking B-Complex Vitamins?

The B vitamins are a group rather than a single thing, and because your body cannot store them, the job of topping them up starts again every day.

Signs you might be low

• Mood swings, irritability, or increased stress
• Fatigue, weakness, or low energy levels
• Difficulty concentrating or persistent brain fog
• Loss of appetite
• Digestive discomfort, including nausea, constipation, or diarrhoea

That is a very ordinary-looking list, which is the honest problem with it. Modern life produces every one of those symptoms without any help from your vitamin levels. Treat it as a prompt to ask the question, not as an answer.

Why the B vitamins matter

The group is B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folate) and B12 (cobalamin). Each has its own job, and between them they are involved in energy metabolism, the nervous system, red blood cell production, DNA synthesis and repair, and the condition of your skin, hair and nails.

Where you get them

B vitamins are water-soluble, so your body does not keep a reserve. What you do not use, you lose. That is why they need to come in regularly:

• Eggs, meat, fish, and poultry
• Leafy greens and citrus fruits
• Nuts, seeds, and avocados
• Whole grains

Vegetarians and vegans need to pay closer attention to B12 in particular, since it is not naturally present in plant foods.

If this sounds like you

Look at what you have been eating for the last month before you look at anything else. If the diet is genuinely reasonable and you still feel flat, that is a conversation for your GP, who can test and rule out the other causes.