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B Vitamins including Folate

B1 – Thiamin        B2 – Riboflavin      B3 – Niacin       B6 – Pyridoxine      B12 – Cobalamin  B9 – Folic acid/Folate

B vitamins have an important role in changing carbohydrates, protein and fat to energy.  Vitamin B6 also works together with the mineral iron to stabilise levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that, if raised, can increase the risk of heart disease. Vitamin B6 is assisted by vitamin B12 and folate.

Vitamin B12 is also important for healthy blood and nerves.  Together, folate and vitamin B12 contribute to the making and functioning of our genetic material (DNA), so they impact every cell in the body.

Most B vitamins have a number and a name.  We have used the most common term for each, but you may see either, or both, on food packaging.

How much B vitamins do we need?

B vitamins need to be eaten daily as they are not stored in the body, but used as required. Any B vitamins that we don’t need are flushed out through our urine, so it is difficult to consume too much of them. Deficiencies of most B vitamins are rare in New Zealand, as adequate amounts are available in everyday foods, and supplements are rarely necessary. The exceptions to this are folate and vitamin B12 (as detailed below).

Who needs more and why?

  • Women who are pregnant, or planning a pregnancy, should take a daily supplement of 800 µg folic acid.  This should be taken for at least one month before, and three months after, becoming pregnant. This is a crucial time in the baby’s development, particularly for the ‘neural tube’, which becomes the brain and spinal cord (NRV).
  • Strict vegetarians (who avoid dairy products and eggs) and vegans are reliant on foods with added vitamin B12 or supplements, as vitamin B12 is only found naturally in foods of animal origin.  Vitamin B12 fortified foods (foods with vitamin B12 added to them) include some breakfast cereals, soy products and a few yeast extracts (B12 | NRV, 2018)*.

To learn more about the specific recommendations, search for the specific B vitamin on the Nutrient Reference Value website.

Which foods contain B vitamins?

  • Thiamin: whole grains, nuts, meat (especially pork) and fortified breakfast cereals*.
  • Riboflavin: milk, eggs, liver, mushrooms, green vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals*.
  • Niacin: meat, mushrooms and fortified breakfast cereals*.
  • B6: beef, fish and poultry, eggs, whole grains and some vegetables.
  • B12: meat, milk and eggs and some yeast extracts*
  • Folate: dark leafy green vegetables (asparagus, spinach, Brussels sprouts), liver, peanuts, legumes (dried beans and peas) bananas, strawberries, oranges and orange juice, fortified breakfast cereals*, bread**. (Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, which is used in supplements and added to foods.)

* Not all brands of breakfast cereals and yeast extracts are fortified with B vitamins. Check the ingredients list of the brand you choose.
**Some bread in New Zealand with the exception of organic and non-yeast leavened bread are fortified with folic acid. Check the ingredient list to determine if it is present in your bread of choice (Ministry of Health, 2021).

 

References:

Ministry of Health (2021) Folate/Folic acid. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) and Ministry of Health (New Zealand) (2018) Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: B12.

 

 

 

Last reviewed: 21/06/2022 

Last modified: August 16, 2023