Your body cannot function normally without vitamins. They are required for a wide variety of cellular processes in all tissues of the body. The nervous system, particularly, requires certain vitamins for embryonic development and the health of adult nerve cells. Their importance is underscored when either a deficiency or overabundance of vitamins is present, which can cause various problems throughout your nervous system.
Vitamin B-6
The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for vitamin B-6 is published by the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. The RDA for adults who are age 19 to 50 is 1.3 mg. Over age 50, the RDA for vitamin B-6 is 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women. This vitamin is found naturally in foods as the chemicals pyridoxine, pyridoxamine and pyridoxal. It is especially abundant in foods such as baked potatoes, bananas, garbanzo beans, chicken breast, pork loin, roast beef, trout, sunflower seeds and other vegetables. Fortified breakfast cereals also offer a good source.
Your nervous system uses neurotransmitters to send information throughout your body. Vitamin B-6 is responsible for making two neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine. If too much or too little of this vitamin is in your diet, neuropathy may result. This is when nerves cannot normally transmit sensory or motor information, resulting in problems like pain, numbness and difficulty with movement. Vitamin B-6 was once thought to help with carpal tunnel syndrome, but clinical trials have not been able to demonstrate its effectiveness for this condition.
Vitamin B-12
The adult RDA for vitamin B-12 is 2.4 mcg, according to the NIH. It can be found naturally in foods such as beef liver, clams, trout, salmon, haddock, tuna, beef, yogurt and milk. Fortified breakfast cereals are also a convenient source. This vitamin is essential for making DNA and is involved in various other processes involving cell metabolism. For nervous system function, vitamin B-12 is crucial for many cell functions, according to The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness. Insufficiency of vitamin B-12 may lead to a variety of neurological dysfunctions throughout your body. These include weakness, spasticity, urinary and bowel problems and impotence in men.
Folic Acid
The adult RDA for folic acid is 400 mcg for men and women. However, in pregnant women, it is 600 mcg, according to the NIH. Folic acid is found as the naturally occurring chemical, folate. It is present in high quantities in foods such as beef liver, cowpeas, beans, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, peas and egg noodles. High amounts are also present in fortified breakfast cereals.
One of folic acid's most profound effects is on embryonic nervous system development. As the rudimentary nervous system starts to form in the embryo, creating what is known as the neural tube, folic acid is responsible for maintaining the normal anatomy of the neural tube as it begins to mature. If the mother's diet is deficient in folic acid, the neural tube will not develop properly, and this may result in nervous system malformations. The most serious of these are spina bifida and anencephaly, which are exteriorizations of the spinal cord and brain, respectively. The neurological effects of these birth defects are profound. It is for this reason the maternal RDA is higher than in other adults, according to the NIH.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B6
- The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness: Neurological Manifestations Of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency
- National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B12
- National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Folate
