B vitamins

The B vitamins are eight water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism. Historically, the B vitamins were once thought to be a single vitamin, referred to as vitamin B (much like how people refer to vitamin C or vitamin D). Later research showed that they are chemically distinct vitamins that often coexist in the same foods. Supplements containing all eight are generally referred to as a vitamin B complex. Individual B vitamin supplements are referred to by the specific name of each vitamin (e.g. B₁, B₂, B₃ etc ).

List of B vitamins

* Vitamin B₁ (thiamine)
* Vitamin B₂ (riboflavin)
* Vitamin B₃ (niacin, includes nicotinic acid and nicotinamide)
* Vitamin B₅ (pantothenic acid)
* Vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine)
* Vitamin B₇ (biotin), also known as vitamin H
* Vitamin B₉ (folic acid), also, vitamin M
* Vitamin B₁₂ (various cobalamins; commonly cyanocobalamin in vitamin supplements)

Former or unclassified vitamins

* "Vitamin B₄ (adenine, DNA metabolite) is no longer classified as a vitamin because it is synthesized by the human body"]

References

External links

* [http://home.howstuffworks.com/vitamin-b.htm How B Vitamins Work] at HowStuffWorks