Feel like you’re running on empty, constantly fighting something off, or cognitively stuck in the mud?
Sometimes, the best way to put the “B” back in “Being your Best” can be found via supporting a specific set of vitamins:
B vitamins play crucial roles in energy production, brainpower, and immune system function. In fact, your immune system needs these essential vitamins to create antibodies, the cells your body uses to fight off germs.
But getting enough B isn’t always easy… Boosting your body’s B vitamin supply involves more than just eating the right foods or taking a B-complex vitamin supplement.
Quick Answer: Fatigue, low mood, anxiety, and brain fog can be signs that your body is running low on B vitamins, the eight water-soluble nutrients behind energy production, brain chemistry, blood cell formation, and immune function. Because the body cannot store them, you need a steady daily supply. Three factors decide your B status: intake (diet and supplements), absorption (how well your body uses them), and theft (gut bacteria that grab B vitamins before you absorb them). Even a good diet may fall short if absorption is impaired or pathogens are stealing your supply. A balanced gut microbiome helps, because certain beneficial bacteria produce B vitamins right where they are absorbed.
Why Is It Hard to Get Enough B Vitamins?
Getting enough B vitamins is hard because your body needs a constant supply (it cannot store them) and three factors must all line up: intake, absorption, and protection from gut pathogens that steal them. If any one tips the wrong way, you can run low.
Even if you eat a diet rich in vitamin B… even if you take the highest quality B vitamin supplements, your body could still be short on supplies.
Here’s why:
Your body has a constant demand for B vitamins, so it needs a constant supply. Every cell in every system in your body relies on B vitamins every day. The B team makes sure every cell in your body can function at full capacity, along with specific jobs such as:
- Converting food into energy
- Producing neurotransmitters (brain chemicals)
- Creating fresh new blood cells
- Keeping cellular DNA intact
Because B vitamins are water-soluble, your body can’t store them – meaning: you can’t stock up.
So giving your body access to a continuous supply of all 8 B vitamins is crucial… but even that might be enough.
Three key factors affect your B vitamin status:
- Intake – how much you get through diet, including supplements
- Absorption – how well your body digests, processes, and uses the B vitamins you take in
- Theft – how well your gut microbiome protects your B vitamin stash from pathogens looking to deplete it
If any one of those factors tips the wrong way, you’ll be B-deficient, and start feeling run down.
But there is a way to make sure all three work in your favor… (more on that below)
What Are the 8 B Vitamins and What Do They Do?
There are eight essential B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12), and your body uses all of them daily for energy, brain chemistry, blood cell formation, DNA, skin and hair, and immune support.
Some B vitamins – especially B12 and B9 (folate) – steal a lot of the attention.
But... Your body uses all 8 essential B vitamins every day! Here’s a quick look at some of the critical functions each one performs:
B1 – thiamine – breaks down sugars, manages blood sugar, creates neurotransmitters (important brain chemicals), produces hormones
B2 – riboflavin – produces energy, breaks down fats, promotes healthy skin
B3 – niacin – converts food into energy, helps cells communicate with each other, helps enzymes perform critical functions
B5 – pantothenic acid – creates fresh proteins, increases cellular energy production, maintains healthy skin and hair
B6 – pyridoxine – creates red blood cells, form new immune cells, produces serotonin and dopamine (two important brain chemicals)
B7 – biotin – strengthens hair and nails, breaks down macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates), and regulates cellular DNA
B9 – folate – ensures proper DNA replication and cell division – making it extra important during pregnancy – and helps break down and use vitamins and amino acids (Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9. Folate is the natural form.)
B12 – cobalamin – creates red and white blood cells, regulates immune system function, supports healthy brain and nerve function, helps the body use folate, protects DNA from damage
As you can see, B vitamins keep your body functioning, your immune system strong, and your energy tank full. And when you’re running low on any of them, you’ll feel it.
What Are the Signs You May Be Low on B Vitamins?
Common signs of running low on B vitamins include fatigue, low mood, anxiety, dry skin and chapped lips, brittle nails, thinning hair, brain fog, decreased appetite, headaches, and insomnia, even without a diagnosed deficiency.
Running low on your vitamin B supplies can cause a wide variety of symptoms – even if you don’t have a diagnosed B deficiency.
Some signs that you’re not getting enough B vitamins include:
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Dry skin and chapped lips
- Brittle nails
- Thinning hair
- Brain fog
- Decreased appetite
- Headaches
- Insomnia
Luckily, replenishing your B vitamin supply can have you feeling fine in no time, and restore your energy and vitality.
Are You Getting Enough B Vitamins?
Many whole foods contain B vitamins, but you have to eat a lot of them every day to meet your needs. People on vegan or vegetarian diets, older adults, pregnant women, and those with certain medical conditions may need extra support.
Many whole foods contain B vitamins, but you have to eat a lot of those healthy foods every day to get an adequate daily supply.
That can be especially hard for people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. Vitamin B12 is found in only animal-based foods like eggs, meats, and dairy products. And while niacin (vitamin B3) can be found in some plants, the niacin found in animal-based foods is substantially more bioavailable. So avoiding those foods can put you at a higher risk for these B deficiencies.
Plus, older people, pregnant women, and people with certain medical issues (such as Crohn’s disease, diabetes, celiac disease, and kidney disease) need an extra supply of daily B vitamins to stay as healthy as possible.
Sometimes, though, you can be consuming enough B vitamins through diet and supplements, but still end up running low…
What Interferes With B Vitamin Absorption?
Even with enough intake, your body may not absorb B vitamins well. Common interferers include certain medications, IBD and other absorption conditions, autoimmune conditions, alcohol, weight-loss surgery, and advancing age. Beneficial gut bacteria can help by producing B vitamins directly in the gut.
Even if you’re taking in enough B vitamins, your body may not be able to use them. That’s because a lot of things keep your body from fully absorbing B vitamins:
- Many medications, including birth control pills, proton pump inhibitors, and diabetes drugs
- Conditions that interfere with nutrient absorption, including IBD (inflammatory bowel disease)
- Autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
- Alcohol consumption
- Weight loss surgery
- Advancing age
If this is your B issue, loading up on vitamin supplements and B-rich foods will help some, but not enough to bring your body into optimal B status every day.
But there is a simple way to bypass digestion and absorption issues:
Load up your gut microbiome with beneficial bacteria that can double as B vitamin factories.
Many strains of helpful bacteria (probiotics) can produce B vitamins right in your gut, doing an end run around the whole digestion process and landing exactly where they need to be for optimal absorption.
And those beneficial bacteria can also help police another common B vitamin problem…
How Do Gut Bacteria Steal Your B Vitamins?
Some gut bacteria do not make their own B vitamins, so they grab the ones passing through your digestive tract before you can absorb them. The best counter is to crowd those bacteria out with beneficial, B-producing bacteria.
Bacteria that don’t produce B vitamins are left with only one choice: Steal it.
Bacterial thieves populate your digestive tract waiting for a fresh supply of B vitamins to pass their way. At the first sign of B vitamins, they latch onto and utilize it need before you get a chance to absorb them.
That means that when you’re doing everything right – consuming plenty of B vitamins every day – you may still not have enough B vitamins in your system to stay healthy.
The best way to take on these B thieves? Crowd them out with beneficial B-producing bacteria.
How Do Spore Probiotics Support Your B Vitamins?
Spore probiotics survive harsh digestion to reach the gut alive, where they can support B vitamins three ways: crowding out pathogens that compete for them, creating an environment where B-producing bacteria thrive, and producing B vitamins themselves.
Spore probiotics have significant advantages over other types of probiotic supplements you can buy. These strains are tough, surviving extreme conditions that kill other probiotics.
Spore probiotics can stand high heat (like your body temperature) and freezing cold. They survive harsh digestive acids. And they arrive in your gut 100% alive and ready to work.
And that includes making sure your body has all the B vitamins it needs for you to stay healthy and vital.
In fact, spore probiotics increase your vitamin B supplies in multiple ways:
- Crowd out pathogenic bacteria that compete for B vitamins
- Create a safe, nourishing microbiome where B-producing beneficial bacteria can multiply and thrive
- Produce B vitamins themselves
When spore probiotics get your gut microbiome in shape, B production will increase along with absorption… helping you get your full daily supply of all 8 essential B vitamins.
Frequently Asked Questions About B Vitamins
What are the symptoms of low B vitamins?
Common signs include fatigue, low mood, anxiety, brain fog, headaches, insomnia, decreased appetite, dry skin, chapped lips, brittle nails, and thinning hair. These can show up even without a formally diagnosed deficiency.
How many B vitamins are there?
There are eight essential B vitamins: B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12 (cobalamin). Your body uses all of them every day.
Why can you still be low on B vitamins even with a good diet?
Three factors decide your B status: intake, absorption, and theft. Even with plenty of intake, poor absorption (from medications, certain conditions, alcohol, or age) or gut bacteria that grab B vitamins can leave you short.
Can probiotics help with B vitamins?
Many strains of beneficial bacteria can produce B vitamins directly in the gut, right where they are absorbed, and can crowd out bacteria that compete for them. A balanced gut microbiome supports better B vitamin status.
Who is most at risk of being low on B vitamins?
People on vegan or vegetarian diets (especially for B12), older adults, pregnant women, and people with conditions like IBD, celiac disease, diabetes, or kidney disease, as well as heavy alcohol users, may need extra B vitamin support.
The four clinically studied spore probiotics in Just Thrive help ensure you get a steady supply of 100% bioavailable B vitamins every day.
In fact, Just Thrive Probiotic is the ONLY product on the market that contains Bacillus Indicus HU36®.
This proprietary spore-based strain has the unique ability (and has been clinically proven) to pass through your stomach unharmed where it then produces antioxidants directly in your digestive system.
This is incredibly important because your digestive system is where antioxidants are BEST absorbed by the body!
With Just Thrive, your body becomes a super-antioxidant factory at the site where the most critical antioxidant nutrients (CoQ10, beta carotene, lycopene, etc) are absorbed!
Get your gut microbiome in balance and maximize your body’s own vitamin B factory with Just Thrive.
