Why you need B vitamins when you’re stressed

Feeling overwhelmed? You might be missing out on essential nutrients, but upping your vitamin B levels could help rebalance your emotional health.

There are eight essential B vitamins: thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), vitamin B6, biotin (vitamin B7), folic acid (folate) and vitamin B12.

Handpicked content: What is Vitamin B12 and why is it so important?

They each have their own role in helping your body to run smoothly but together they’re important for your nervous system, cell metabolism, making red blood cells and converting your food into energy.¹

B vitamins = natural mood boosters

An increasing amount of evidence shows how vitamin B benefits our bodies when it comes to tackling stress – they can help boost your brain chemistry and balance out neurotransmitters for optimum brain function.² Research by Swinburne University, Australia, in 2014 revealed that chronic stress depletes levels of vitamin B6 in the body.³ But the study also showed a 20% reduction in work-related stress in those consuming higher levels of B vitamins. A previous study published in the British Medical Journal in 2004 found that folate can help improve mood,⁴ while a review by Swansea University⁵ in 2013 confirmed that high doses of B vitamins may be effective in improving mood states.

Handpicked content: About stress and how you can manage yours

How do B vitamins help zap stress?

Each of the B vits plays a key role in helping your body manage stress symptoms^1-8. Let’s find out how.

Vitamin B1 – thiamine

Helps:
• stabilise your mood
• keep your nervous system healthy
• boost memory and concentration

Vitamin B1-rich foods include nuts and seeds, fish, soybeans and yeast extract.

Vitamin B2 – riboflavin

Helps:
• calm the nervous system
• regulate mood and energy
• metabolise fats and carbohydrates

You can find B2 in eggs, salmon, milk, yoghurt, mushrooms and spinach.

Vitamin B3 – niacin

Helps:
• stabilise your mood; low B3 levels can lead to stress, irritability, low mood and depression
• nerve health
• control blood sugar levels and digestion

Find it in fish, meat, seeds, peanuts and green peas.

Handpicked content: What is digestion?

Vitamin B6 – pyridoxine

Helps:
• make neurotransmitters, such as mood-boosting serotonin
• support your immune system during times of anxiety
• support adrenal function

Find it in bananas, chickpeas, wheat germ and lentils.

Handpicked content: 8 essential oils for anxiety you should try

Vitamin B9 – folate or folic acid

Helps:
• support proper brain function
• improve mood
• prevent birth defects during pregnancy, such as spina bifida

Find it in broccoli, spinach, chickpeas, lentils and beans.

Vitamin B12 – cyanocobalamin

Helps:
• brain function and development
• melatonin and serotonin production, essential for mood and sleep
• make DNA

Find it in eggs, milk, cheese, milk products, fish, shellfish. B12 is also added to some soy and rice milk products.

Do you need more B vitamins?

Unlike many other vitamins and minerals, we don’t store B vits in our bodies – they’re water-soluble, so they’re flushed out within hours if they’re not used.

We should get all the B vitamins we need from our diet, but you may want to take a consider topping up your daily levels at stressful times.

Advice is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP before trying any remedies.

Shop Vitamins & Supplements