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Can Vitamin B Reduce Stress?

Vitamins play an essential and complex role in a vast multitude of bodily functions and processes. Deficiencies can result in severe diseases some of which can be fatal. Vitamin deficiency on this level is extremely rare in today’s western world with a varied diet of easily obtained food sources. However, lesser deficiencies, which may go undetected can result in many biological systems functioning way below their optimum which in turn can result in ill health. Vitamins can be used to boost and enhance many internal and external systems including that of stress relief.

All of the vitamins are needed on some level to enable us to manage anxiety and stress, acting as they do to control and maintain hormone release and playing a role in our metabolic rate. The vitamin B group are perhaps the most important amongst all the vitamins for maintaining mental balance and leaving us less vulnerable to prolonged stress.

Each B vitamin is known by a variety of common and scientific names which can be confusing when you are trying to ascertain the nutritional value of certain foods. The B vitamins are most commonly denoted as a B followed by a number and one other name thus -

Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin (the number generally signifies the order in which the B vitamins were discovered)

Vitamin B for Stress Relief

It is thought that amongst the B vitamins, it is vitamin B3 (Niacin) and vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) which are the most important sources for stress relief and stress coping maintenance.

Niacin – this vitamin plays a part in the metabolism processes necessary for creating serotonin – our body’s feel good hormone. It has been indicated as an essential for mood stability and is thought to be necessary for restful and healthy sleep. Nutritionists recommend a daily dosage of 2 to 12 mg for children, 14 mg for women (18 mg for pregnant and breastfeeding women) and 16 mg for men.

Niacin can be found naturally occurring in:

• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Legumes such as peas
• Nuts
• Whole grain products
• Chicken
• Beef
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Liver, kidney and heart
• Eggs
• Milk

Pantothenic acid – this B vitamin plays an essential role in maintaining systems which are responsible for stress hormone secretion and levels. Melatonin, the main sleep promoting hormone, the deficiency of which can cause insomnia, can only be produced if pantothenic acid is present in the body. Daily dosage recommendations are 1.7 to 4 mg for children and 5 mg for adults (increasing to 6 to 7 mg for pregnant and breast feeding women).

Pantothenic acid can be found in small traces in virtually all human food sources but has higher levels in:

• Liver, kidney, heart
• Most meats
• Broccoli
• Avocado
• Peas
• Mushrooms
• Whole grains
• Yoghurt
• Egg yolk

Vitamin B can also be bought as a supplement but it is rarely necessary in the case of vitamin B for stress relief. The foods which contain the vitamins required are varied and easily incorporated into a healthy and varied diet.

This article on how Vitamin B can reduce stress has been written by expert author ‘Deneice Arthurton’.