7 best B vitamins

Means and preparations

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

B vitamins are one of the most well-known agents for maintaining the health of the nervous system. They are most often prescribed by neurologists for back pain, “lumbago”, diabetic and alcoholic polyneuropathies. But drugs of group B can be useful for practically healthy people who want to stay healthy.

In this review, we have compiled for you a rating of the best preparations of B vitamins.

What are B vitamins and why are they needed

Vitamins are a group of highly active compounds that regulate all biochemical reactions in the body. All processes in cells occur under the influence of special proteins – enzymes. For them to start working, you need coenzymes, that is, substances that, by attaching to the enzyme molecule itself, make it active. Vitamins play this role in the body. That is why, with their shortcomings, serious illnesses develop.

Group B includes 7 vitamins and 4 vitamin-like substances. Vitamins must necessarily come from the outside, since they are not synthesized by the body. Vitamin-like substances are produced by the body, but in small quantities.

B vitamins:

  1. B1 – thiamine. Regulates the transmission of impulses in the nervous system, the tone of the heart muscle and smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, participates in the transfer of genetic material during cell division and almost all metabolic processes of the body.
  2. B2 – riboflavin. Participates in the absorption of iron, the formation of erythrocytes, the work of nerve cells, the synthesis of adrenal hormones.
  3. B3 – niacin. Also known as vitamin PP or niacin. Reduces blood pressure, improves microcirculation, participates in the central nervous system, regulates the formation of red blood cells.
  4. B5 – pantothenic acid. It is part of coenzyme A (CoA) – the most important substance for the body, which participates in all reactions that produce energy. Stimulates the synthesis of glucocorticoids by the adrenal glands, which is why it can be considered as anti-inflammatory. Participates in immune reactions and the production of neurotransmitters.
  5. B6 – pyridoxine. Regulates protein assimilation, immunity, nervous system functions. Participates in the synthesis of hemoglobin and erythrocytes.
  6. B9 – folic acid. Regulates hematopoiesis and the development of the nervous system. It is especially important during the planning of pregnancy, since when it is lacking, defects in the brain and spinal cord occur in the fetus. On the other hand, with its excess, the activity of immune killer cells decreases.
  7. B12 – cobalamin (Castle's external factor). It is necessary for normal blood formation and the activity of the nervous system.

Vitamin-like substances:

  1. B4 is choline. It is part of the myelin sheath of nerve fibers. A source for the synthesis of the main mediator of the central nervous system – acetylcholine. Participates in the regulation of insulin activity, has hepatoprotective and lipotropic (protects the liver from fatty degeneration) properties.
  2. B7 is biotin. Also known as vitamin H or coenzyme R. It regulates protein and fat balance. A source of sulfur for the synthesis of proteins necessary for skin, hair, nails, and bone tissue.
  3. B8 is inositol. Promotes weight loss, participates in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism. slows down the development of atherosclerosis.
  4. B10 – para-aminobenzoic acid (bacterial vitamin H1). A powerful antioxidant, it is involved in the work of the thyroid gland and blood formation.

As you can see, most of the B vitamins are involved in one way or another in maintaining the normal functioning of the nervous system, hematopoiesis, and immune reactions. That is why the main area of ​​their application is neurology.

Treatment of various kinds of neuritis, neuralgia, asthenic syndrome (general weakness) are the main indications for prescribing drugs of group B. They are also recommended for sleep disorders (both insomnia and daytime sleepiness), an unstable psychoemotional state (however, irritability and tearfulness can be manifestations asthenic syndrome). For preventive purposes, they are taken to maintain a high level of activity, both physical and mental, during stress, and to compensate for an unbalanced diet.

Many or few?

Anyone who has ever bought vitamins on foreign Internet sites has noticed incredibly high dosages – sometimes they are a hundred times higher than the recommended daily dose indicated in the same instructions. At the same time, everyone heard about the danger of hypervitaminosis. One can, of course, assume that manufacturers have decided to poison their customers en masse. But conspiracy theories aside, the situation is extremely interesting.

Those intake rates that are usually listed in the tables are called the recommended dietary supplement rates (RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowance). They were developed in the middle of the last century and since then have been wandering from management to manuals almost unchanged. These norms stipulate the amount of vitamin in food, which helps to prevent diseases caused by its deficiency.

We draw the attention of readers – the RDA standards, which are cited in all medical guidelines, including domestic ones, are intended not to maintain an optimal level of health, but to prevent diseases. The very diseases, like scurvy or beriberi, which modern people learn about from high school biology textbooks, not from reality.

But if you do not take the absence of disease as the norm (and, according to WHO experts, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being), then the indicated amounts of vitamins are clearly insufficient to maintain optimal health. And the surveys carried out, when the content of vitamins in the body was studied in a random sample of people, indicate that at least 60% of the population has a deficiency, and about a third has complex hypovitaminosis. It turns out that the norm for preventing the disease caused by vitamin deficiency and the norm that is optimal for health are different.

In addition, over the past half century, people's nutrition has changed. The diet of most of the townspeople began to be dominated by processed, refined products, semi-finished products, and fast food. It makes no sense to talk about the content of vitamins in such food – it means that they have to be replenished from other sources in much larger quantities than with a balanced diet.

That is why the concept of ONA (Optimal Nutrient Allowance) appeared – optimal nutrient intake. These are the recommended daily dosages of vitamins tailored for optimal health. They also take into account modern nutritional stereotypes. The majority of dietary supplements manufacturers are guided by them. But the suggested dosages are many times higher than the usual recommendations.

B vitamins requirement table

Vitamin

Standard norms

ONA

IN 1

1.5 mg

10-100 mg

AT 2

1.8 mg

10-100 mg

B3 (aka RR)

20 mg

20-35 mg

AT 5

5 mg

400 mg

AT 6

2 mg

10-100

AT 9

400 mcg

800 mcg

AT 12

3 μg

12-100 mcg

Based on what norms to select a complex of group B, each reader is free to decide independently. An overdose of water-soluble vitamins, to which this group belongs, is unlikely when taking pills – the body is able to regulate their absorption in the intestine and thus will not take 'excess'.

But those who decide to choose drugs with higher doses will have to turn to the services of foreign online stores. In Russia, it is impossible to register dietary supplements with a content of active substances in excess of the upper permissible level of consumption specified in special regulatory documents. And this level is several times lower than those recommended as optimal dosages, not to mention the maximum doses allowed by WHO. For example, for vitamin B1, the upper permissible level of consumption according to Russian standards is 5 mg, and according to the WHO, there is no upper limit, since it is extremely quickly excreted by the kidneys, which is why it does not have a toxic effect.

This restriction does not apply to medicines, since therapeutic dosages of vitamins may be higher than prophylactic ones, but in fact, there are not so many medicines that are close to the ONA vitamin content in the free market.

That is why, while compiling the rating of the best B vitamins, we divided it into two sections: those available in offline pharmacies and those available via the Internet.

By the way, paradoxically, vitamin complexes with an active ingredient content oriented to ONA norms can be found in offline sports nutrition stores.

Rating of the best B vitamins

Nomination a place Name of product price
The best B vitamins available at regular pharmacies 1 Multi-B complex Vitamir for the nervous system, hair and nails 159 r
2 Pentovit 112 RUB
3 Kombilipen RUB 470
4 Salus vitamin B-complex 1 440 rub.
The best B vitamins available online 1 Now Foods, B-50 890 RUB
2 Doctor's Best, Fully Active B Complex with Quatrefolic 634 RUB
3 Solgar, B-Complex with Vitamin C Stress Formula, 250 Tablets RUB 3,221

The best B vitamins available at regular pharmacies

In this section of the rating, we have selected the funds that can be bought in regular offline pharmacies. Their advantages are affordability, relatively low price and over-the-counter sales. Of the shortcomings, it should be noted – we found only one complex containing the entire group of B vitamins.

Multi-B complex Vitamir for the nervous system, hair and nails

Rating: 4.9

MULTI-B COMPLEX VITAMIR FOR NERVOUS SYSTEM, HAIR AND NAILS

This dietary supplement is positioned as a complex containing 11 B vitamins. In fact, it contains 7 B vitamins and 4 vitamin-like substances: choline (B4), biotin (B7), inositol (B8), para-aminobenzoic acid (B8). However, if we talk about group B as a complex, then the manufacturer almost did not deviate from the truth.

The package contains 30 tablets, which will last for a month at the recommended intake of 1 tablet per day. And given that the medicine is of domestic production, the cost of taking it turns out to be very humane.

Since the agent is registered as a dietary supplement, the only indication for its use is as an additional source of vitamins in food. Among the contraindications are pregnancy, breastfeeding, individual intolerance.

Advantages

  • contains the whole complex of group B,
  • inexpensive.

disadvantages

  • not.

Pentovit

Rating: 4.8

PENTOVIT

Contains B1, B3, B6, B9, B12. Available in packs of 50 tablets. Recommended for asthenic conditions (fatigue, weakness during recovery from a serious illness, etc.), neuralgia.

Of the shortcomings, a relatively long (for vitamins) list of contraindications should be noted. The manufacturer does not recommend the drug for pregnant women. Indeed, excessively high doses of nicotinamide have an embryotoxic effect. In a tablet of pentovita it is 20 mg, that is, the amount does not exceed the daily rate according to the most conservative recommendations – if you limit yourself to one tablet. But the dosage regimen recommended by the instructions is 2 – 3 tablets 3 times a day, which may indeed be too much during pregnancy.

Pentovitis is not indicated for children under 18 years of age, for people with chronic pancreatitis and stones in the gallbladder.

Advantages

  • almost complete complex of group B,
  • low price.

disadvantages

  • many contraindications.

Kombilipen

Rating: 4.7

COMBILIPENE1

This medicine contains only three vitamins – B1, B6 and B12. But this is a complete analogue of Milgamma, a well-known and very beloved drug by neurologists. The fact is that such a combination of vitamins in itself has analgesic properties, which allows you to reduce the dosage of anti-inflammatory and reduce their harmful effects on the body. In addition, they contribute to the restoration of nerve tissue and protective myelin fibers.

The peculiarity of combilipen is a special, fat-soluble form of B1 – benfotiamine. This improves its bioavailability several times. The dosages of all vitamins are quite high – 100 mg of benfotiamine and pyridoxine each, however, cyanocobalamin is only 2 mg. You need to take the medicine 1 to 3 tablets a day, depending on how you feel.

Contraindicated in children and in severe cardiovascular insufficiency.

Advantages

  • low price in comparison with analogue,
  • high doses of vitamins.

disadvantages

  • prescription.

Salus vitamin B-complex

Rating: 4.6

SALUS VITAMIN B-COMPLEX

Contains B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, biotin. That is, almost all B vitamins, with the exception of folic acid, and one vitamin-like substance.

The package contains 60 capsules, which are enough for 2 months of use. Means of production of a German company that positions itself as a manufacturer of naturopathic medicines – obtained from natural ingredients, herbs, vegetables and fruits. Perhaps this explains the rather high cost of packaging for such a complex.

Advantages

  • a wide range of B vitamins,
  • natural origin.

disadvantages

  • price.

The best B vitamins available online

These funds will have to be ordered on the Internet. They are suitable for those who prefer to take high doses of vitamins in courses, based on the theory of optimal micronutrient requirements. They can be recommended for athletes as well, since regular physical activity inevitably leads to an increased need for vitamins (as well as for other nutrients). Many of the group B drugs mentioned in this section of the ranking are suitable for vegans. This is important because vitamin B12 can only be obtained from animal products, and people on a vegan diet need to purposefully make up for it.

Now Foods, B-50

Rating: 4.9

NOW FOODS, B-50

Contains a full B complex and vitamin-like substances of this group. It is named so because most of the vitamins (except B9) have a dosage of either 50 mg (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6) or 50 μg (B12).

Take 1 capsule daily with meals.

Available in capsules, suitable for vegans.

Advantages

  • sufficiently high, but not excessive, amount of vitamins;
  • contains a complete set of V.
  • suitable for vegans.

disadvantages

  • you need to order online and wait for delivery.

Doctor's Best, Fully Active B Complex with Quatrefolic

Rating: 4.8

DOCTOR'S BEST, FULLY ACTIVE B COMPLEX WITH QUATREFOLIC

Contains B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12 and biotin.

The peculiarity of this remedy is a non-standard form of vitamin B9: Quatrefolic. It is a 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid salt of glucosamine, characterized by increased bioavailability. It is necessary for people who have mutations that disrupt the normal metabolism of folic acid (analysis for mutations in the folate cycle genes can be passed in most commercial laboratories). Most often, such mutations are found when examining women with habitual miscarriage: a deficiency of folic acid in the body, caused by its reduced assimilation, leads to the development of defects in the neural tube, heart, urinary tract; frozen pregnancy or premature placental abruption. In addition, such mutations increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

It is useless for people with such a pathology to take conventional folic acid preparations – they need drugs with increased bioavailability.

The drug is available in cellulose-based capsules suitable for vegetarians.

Take 1 capsule daily.

Advantages

  • a special, easily digestible form of folic acid,
  • suitable for vegans.

disadvantages

  • order only via the Internet.

Solgar B-Complex with Vitamin C Stress Formula, 250 Tablets

Rating: 4.8

SO LG AR, B-COMPLEX WITH VITAMIN C STRESS FORMULA, 250 TABLETS

In addition to the full complex of B vitamins, it contains ascorbic acid and a mixture of natural plant extracts with antioxidant and cardioprotective properties. Contributes to the normalization of the nervous and immune systems.

The manufacturer recommends taking 2 tablets a day, so the course of treatment is relatively expensive.

Advantages

  • added a mixture of herbal extracts to potentiate the main action.

disadvantages

  • 2 tablets per day.


Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

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