By Chris Cander

The eight water-soluble B vitamins are sometimes called the “stress vitamins” because they’re the first to go when the body is under stress, says Dan Breckenridge, owner of Dan’s Vitamin House in Houston. Although they’re often collectively referred to as vitamin B, they’re actually chemically distinct nutrients that coexist in the same foods and perform similar physiological functions. These functions all play a key role in supporting muscle action and overall metabolic health, including the conversion of food to energy, the maintenance of a healthy nervous-system and testosterone production. The eight vitamins are:

• B1 (thiamine)
• B2 (riboflavin)
• B3 (niacin, which includes nicotinic acid and nicotinamide)
• B5 (pantothenic acid)
• B6 (pyridoxine)
• B7 (biotin)
• B9 (folic acid)
• B12 (cobalamin)

There are four other factors grouped within the vitamin B complex—choline, inositol, lipoic acid and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)—which help with the metabolism of fats and glucose, among other things.

Breckenridge, who counts many weight lifters and professional athletes among his regular customers, says that vitamin B complex supplements are often used for boosting energy and improving athletic performance. “I’m not saying that they’ll work for everyone, but some people have observed having extra energy after a month or so of regular use,” he says. “Actually, because the effects are so gradual, they tend to notice the absence of extra energy more after they stop taking them.”

If you choose to supplement your diet with a vitamin B complex or any of the individual B vitamins, Breckenridge suggests taking them with a meal to slow absorption and prevent stomach upset.

Want more information on vitamins? Read “Six Essential Nutrients for Healthy Muscles” in the September/October issue of Maximum Fitness—on newsstands August 26, 2008.