B-50 vitamin complexes contain a combination of your daily-required B vitamins in 50 mg or 50 mcg doses. These vitamins play a crucial role to your overall health by regulating your metabolism and many chemical reactions that occur in your body. While B-50 supplements are considered generally safe, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate these vitamins. To ensure you are getting the real thing, talk to your doctor before starting a B-50 complex.
Reverse Anemia
When your body is unable to create enough red blood cells to keep you healthy, you have anemia. Anemia can cause fatigue and physical weakness, making daily activities difficult. While most people think of an iron deficiency as being the cause of anemia, a B-12 deficiency may be truly to blame. The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements recommends getting at least 2.4 mcg of vitamin B-12 a day to avoid a deficiency. With B-50 complexes offering 50 mcg of B-12, your B-50 supplement offers more than enough B-12 to prevent or cure certain anemia.
Heart Health
According to MayoClinic.com, vitamin B-3, also known as niacin, can raise your good cholesterol levels by 15 percent to 35 percent. High levels of this good HDL cholesterol can help ward off heart disease in both men and women. Furthermore, vitamins B-6, B-12 and folate, also known as B-9, can reduce your blood levels of homocysteine, further reducing your risk of heart disease.
Slow Mental Decline
A vitamin B-1, thiamine, deficiency can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which results in a loss of memory and nerve damage. These symptoms can be reversed by taking supplements, like a B-50 complex, that contains thiamine. Vitamins B-12, B-6 and folic acid may be effective in preventing and treating dementia in elderly patients, although more research is needed, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Prevent Cataracts
An Australian study published in the July 2001 issue of the "American Journal of Ophthalmology" found that long-term use of B vitamin supplements was effective in preventing both nuclear and cortical cataracts. Researchers found that B-12 and folate were particularly effective in guarding against cortical cataracts.
Dietary Factors
Most people receive all the B vitamins they need through the foods they eat. However, older people, people with pernicious anemia and people with gastrointestinal ailments may have a difficult time absorbing the nutrients. Vegetarians are also at a heightened risk for deficiency because many B vitamins come from animal sources. B-50 complexes may be a convenient solution for these people. However, you should talk to your doctor before starting a supplement regimen due to the possibility of a drug interaction.
References
- Medline Plus: Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
- MayoClinc.com; Niacin to boost your HDL, 'good,' cholesterol; June 2011
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B12
- American Cancer Society; Vitamin B Complex; May 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
- "American Journal of Ophthamology"; Use of vitamin supplements and cataract: the Blue Mountains Eye Study; M. Kuzniarz et al.; July 2001



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