These Surprising Vitamins Support The Brain (In More Ways Than One)

While all brain-centric nutrients are important to dive into, there's one vital group of vitamins that tend to slip under the radar: the B vitamin family (aka a B complex).

The brain uses 20% of the body's total energy expenditure1, making it the most metabolically active organ. B vitamins play a massive role in energy metabolism and are precisely regulated by the brain's homeostatic mechanisms to maintain high concentrations.* 

For example, folate (aka vitamin B9) is seen in the brain at a concentration four times higher than in the blood, while concentrations of biotin and pantothenic acid (aka vitamins B7 and B5) are 50 times higher2 in the brain.

Affecting everything from memory and cellular signaling to mood and sleep, B vitamins are quite comprehensive in their scope of work throughout the central nervous system.* 

Here are three ways B vitamins help promote a healthy brain.* Affecting everything from memory and cellular signaling to mood and sleep, B vitamins are quite comprehensive in their scope of work throughout the central nervous system.* 

The two flavoprotein coenzymes derived from riboflavin—FMN and FAD—are vital to delivering enough oxygen to the brain so it can send nerve signals and messages to the rest of the body.* Without B vitamins, the brain simply wouldn't get the oxygen and nutrients it crucially needs.* 

In an equally comprehensive fashion, pantothenic acid, niacin, and thiamin support overall cognitive function by promoting the structural integrity and performance of brain cells4.* Additionally, thiamin provides energy to nerve cells and aids in the production of myelin (aka the insulation around nerves).* 

In many ways, we are able to regulate our emotions and navigate our feelings thanks to the diverse family of B vitamins.

Most B vitamins—including thiamin, pantothenic acid, folate, and vitamins B6 and B12—are involved in neurotransmitter production.* Neurotransmitters help neurons communicate with each other and affect our overall mood and emotional health. 

It turns out that these essential water-soluble B vitamins not only promote a stable mood but also help you wind down after a long day so you can have restful sleep each night.*