How can B vitamins impact mental health?

Achieving good mental health can look like many different things to different people. For some it can look like working more; for others, it can look like working less. For some, it can look like finding ways to relax; for others, it can look like finding more motivation. 

However, one thing that is true across the board for everyone looking to achieve good mental hygiene: mental health relies upon key vitamins and nutrients. 

Your brain needs the proper fuel to keep it at its peak performance, and it can’t do it on its own – sometimes you’ve got to step in and provide it with the extra vitamins and nutrients to get the job done. 

Studies have shown that people who are depressed often have diets that are less than ideal. And by “less than ideal,” we mean that they may actually be eating things that are making their depression even worse.

One of the most critical vitamins to good mental health is vitamin B.

How do you know if you’re deficient in vitamin B?

A deficiency in vitamin B oftentimes shows up as folate deficiency anemia. This means that you have fewer red blood cells than someone with healthy vitamin B levels or that you have low levels of hemoglobin present in each cell.  

Vitamin B deficiency/anemia can look like this:

• Fatigue
• Lack of energy
• Breathlessness
• Headaches
• Faint feeling
• Heart palpitations
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Pale skin
• Tinnitus
• Irritability
• Mouth ulcers

It is also possible to experience depression and issues with memory when deficient in vitamin B. 

If any of the above sounds familiar, it’s important to talk to a doctor and get your blood tested to see if you are indeed deficient in this essential vitamin.

How does vitamin B improve mental health?

Most people look at vitamin B as essential to bodily functions. Vitamin B certainly is important to that, but it is also vital to mental health. 

Below are the ways in which vitamin B improves mental health.

What are the best sources of vitamin B?

It is possible to get vitamin B from a well-balanced diet that includes some of the following key sources of this vitamin:

• Meat
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Eggs
• Yogurt
• Legumes
• Citrus fruits
• Berries
• Leafy greens
• Nutritional yeast
• Cucumbers

However, sometimes it is difficult to get the amount of vitamin B you need in order to positively affect your mental health. This is especially true if you are vegan or vegetarian and miss out on animal protein sources of vitamin B.

To make getting vitamin B easier and more convenient, consider taking vitamin B supplements. 

Are all B vitamin supplements the same?

There are quite a few options when it comes to vitamin B supplements. However, it’s important to know that they are not all created equally.

There are a couple of key things you want to look for in your vitamin B supplements that will ensure they provide you with the mental boost you’re looking for. 

Methylated

When you see the term “methylated” on your vitamin B label, it simply means that it is the active form of the vitamin and that it can be used by your body right away.

Non-methylated B vitamins will still work, but they’ll take longer to work because your body has to take the time and energy to convert them to the methylated form first. Not only will they take longer, but non-methylated B vitamins also may not be as well absorbed by the body. That means you are actually wasting more money on this form.

Yeast-Free

If you have a yeast intolerance, you want to be sure that you look specifically for yeast-free B vitamins. 

Typically, B-complex vitamins are sourced from either brewer’s yeast or nutritional yeast, so if you have an issue with yeast, then just any old B-complex vitamin won’t work for you. 

There are choices when it comes to which form of vitamin B supplement you want to go with. Many people opt for a capsule such as our Mood B Complete, while others find that a vitamin B powder better suits their lifestyle. If you opt for the powder, ensure that it is methylated. 

Summary

You likely grew up knowing that vitamin B was important to your overall health, but research continues to emerge that proves vitamin B’s essential role in mental health. 

Vitamin B can help with the following:

• Energy
• Stress
• Mood
• Brain function
• Inflammation

Ensure that when shopping for your vitamin B supplement, you opt for one that is methylated for better absorption. And, if you have a sensitivity to yeast, yeast-free B vitamins do exist, like our Mood B Complete.