There are several classes of B vitamins you need to get from your diet or multivitamin each day. Your gallbladder and liver play vital roles in proper metabolism of each of the B vitamins. The B vitamins rely on enzymes from your liver that are stored in your gallbladder in order to be metabolized. If you get your B vitamins from an over-the-counter B complex or multivitamin, make sure your physician is aware ahead of time.
B Vitamin Functions
B vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B-6, folic acid, B-12, pantothenic acid and biotin, compliment each other by metabolizing food for energy, utilized for all basic functions. These important water soluble vitamins are not stored in your body, so you must get them through your diet each day. In addition to breaking down food, B vitamins are essential for normal growth, reproduction, red blood cell formation and maintenance of your central nervous system, explains the American Cancer Society.
Functions of Your Liver
Your liver produces bile, an acidic enzyme that aids in the digestion of foods. Bile digests fat in your diet. While B vitamins absorb in water, not fat, fatty foods such as meat, dairy and eggs are chock-full of essential B vitamins. Bile helps breakdown fatty foods you eat, allowing for smooth absorption of the B vitamins. You liver also regulates amino acids in your blood, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Several of the B vitamins help metabolize complex protein strands into smaller forms called amino acids, which are essential components of muscle tissue and normal neurological function.
Gallbladder Functions
Your gallbladder stores bile made in the liver so your body can pull it as needed, to aid in digestion. Once in a while, serious problems may occur with your gallbladder, requiring your surgeon to remove this organ. When this occurs, your liver excretes bile directly into the digestive tract for the breakdown of foods, allowing B vitamins to separate from food sources and absorb directly in your small intestine.
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 is the exception to the rule: it is stored in your body. Your liver stores small amounts of B-12 for years, explains Medline Plus. Hydrochloric acid in your stomach releases B-12 from proteins in the foods you eat. From there, B-12 travels down to the small intestine where it absorbs through intestinal walls directly into the bloodstream. Your body utilizes whatever B-12 it needs right away for food metabolism, red blood cell formation and neurological functions. Any leftover B-12 goes to your liver for storage.
References
- American Cancer Society; Vitamin B Complex; May 2010
- Medline Plus; Vitamin B12; February 2011
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Your Digestive System and How It Works; April 2008
- Medline Plus; Gallbladder Disease; July 2009
- Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: How the Liver Works
