B Complex

The Best Methylated B Complexes You Can Buy

Methylation is a key biochemical process that is essential for the proper function of almost all of your body’s systems. It occurs billions of times every second; it helps repair your DNA on a daily basis; it controls homocysteine (an unhealthy compound that can damage blood vessels); it helps recycle molecules needed for detoxification; and it helps maintain mood and keep inflammation in check. To keep methylation running smoothly you need optimal levels of B vitamins. Without enough B vitamins methylation breaks down and the results can be catastrophic.

Water-soluble B vitamins have to be absorbed in the small intestine and then go to the liver where they are bio-transformed into their active coenzyme forms. This formula contains high therapeutic doses of vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine-P5P), and B12 (methylcobalamin) in their physiologically-active form making them easier to absorb and “ready-for-use”. Folate is provided as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), which bypasses metabolic steps to folate bioactivity. Folate is stored in small amounts in red blood cells (RBC), and RBC folate has been shown to be higher after supplementation with 5-MTHF compared to folic acid and placebo. Patients given 5 mg of 5-MTHF experienced plasma levels of 5-MTHF 700% greater than patients given folic acid [1].

Another unique ingredient in this formula is benfotiamine, a safe, fat-soluble analog of thiamine. One study showed that it not only raised blood and tissue levels of thiamine at least five times higher than the water-soluble salt, but it also remained bioavailable after oral administration up to 3.6 times longer than thiamine salt [2]. Benfotiamine is useful for replenishing thiamine, this may be especially true in individuals that use the vitamin at a higher rate or in those with lifestyle habits that deplete it [3,4].

References

1. Willems FF, Boers GH, Blom HJ, et al. Pharmacokinetic study on the utilization of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and folic acid in patients with coronary artery disease. Br J Pharmacol. 2004 Mar;41(5):825-30. [PMID: 14769778
2. Loew D. Pharmacokinetics of thiamine derivatives especially of benfotiamine. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1996 Feb;34(2): 47-50. [PMID: 8929745
3. Woelk H, Lehrl S, Bitsch R, et al. Benfotiamine in treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy: an 8-week randomized controlled study (BAP I Study). Alcohol. 1998 Nov-Dec;33(6):631-38. [PMID: 9872352]
4. Ayazpoor U. Chronic alcohol abuse. Benfotiamine in alcohol damage is a must [in German]. MMW Fortschr Med. 2001 Apr 19;143(16):53. [PMID: 11367995]

For more information on what makes Healthmasters' B Complex different than traditional B Vitamins, click here.