B all you can Vitamin B

What constitutes a good B-Complex supplement? There are some rules. These rules are not cheap to follow, however they do let us know whether or not the product we are evaluating has any value. Certainly this short article cannot begin to cover all the issues, and so I'll try to cover just a few of the most important ones.

First, lets look at the composition. There are eight known B vitamins, and the good products have all eight. Not only do quality products have all eight present, but they also have these eight nutrients in a somewhat balanced form. B vitamins are competitive in the body, and it is  important that the balance exists.   Correct balance should be: Thiamin (as thiamin monoontrate) 20.25 mg, Riboflavin 23mg, Niacin (as niacinamide) 270mg, Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride) 27mg, Folate (as folic acid) 400 mcg, Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin) 81 mcg, Biotin (as d-biotin) 300 mcg, and Panthothenic Acid (a d-calcium pantothenate).  We used to see products in the drug store that would have zero amounts of the expensive components and 6000% of the less expensive components. Make certain yours is balanced.

Now, what about bioavailability? This is a measure of what happens to a nutrient (or medicinal) when consumed by someone. Does it get passed through the system untouched, or does it get into the blood stream in the correct amount? Make sure the product's scientists spend a lot of time and money making certain that the products we consume including B- Complex do exactly what they are supposed to do.

A perfect example of this occurred when Shaklee recently reformulated our B-Complex. They tested comparable products from several other manufacturers looking for the bioavailability of the folic acid portion. What they found was that in all other products the folic acid was not available at the labeled amount. Some had no folic acid at all even though the label indicated they did. Folic acid is hard to get into the blood stream and Shaklee found a way to overcome this obstacle they put the folic acid in the coating. Now when you take a Shaklee B-Complex, you are assured of getting what the label says you should get. Folic acid is an important compound that is highly effective in preventing birth defects, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. It has been clearly
demonstrated that $20 billion in hospital charges alone could be saved every year if women of childbearing are were to supplement with zinc and folic  acid! It is so important that it is one of the few nutrients that the federal government mandates it be added to certain foods. These protective effects are even more pronounced when folic acid is combined with high levels of vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12. It is now proven that B-6 and B-12 markedly reduce (by 1/3) the risk of
heart disease.

B-complex deficiency has also been linked to Crohns Disease, Alzheimers Disease, mental depression, Parkinsons Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, hearing loss, and kidney disease. 

With this in mind, Shaklee B-Complex is certainly included in our daily regimen of nutritional supplementation. Maybe it should be in yours too.