How B Vitamins Keep You Going: From Food to Function

We’ve all heard something about vitamin B before – maybe that it gives you energy, that it’s good for your skin or your nails, or that it’s especially important to vegans and vegetarians. While these little bits and pieces might give you some idea of the effect of B vitamins, it understates the essential significance they have in regulating the processes of a healthy, high-functioning human body, especially when it comes to energy. 

Okay… quite the claim, right? Let’s start at the beginning and take a look at some info on B vitamins: what they are, how they work, and what we can do to help them help us. 

What Are B Vitamins?

Actually, hold on… what are vitamins in the first place? The term “vitamin” refers to a group of organic substances understood as essential for normal health, growth, and function of higher forms of animal life (1). While other essential substances can be synthesized within our bodies from a wide variety of sources, vitamins need to be consumed directly in order for us to have access to them. This is why they’re sometimes referred to as essential nutrients. Vitamins are put into alphabetical categories (vitamin C, vitamin E, etc.) based on various criteria that don't always signify a biological or chemical grouping. 

Categorized more by shared functions rather than chemical similarity, B vitamins generally help the body process food to create energy while also aiding in the formation of red blood cells (2). There are eight different kinds of B vitamins: 

● B1 (thiamine) 

● B2 (riboflavin)

● B3 (niacin)

● B5 (pantothenic acid)

● B6 (pyridoxine)

● B7 (biotin)

● B9 (folic acid)

● B12 (cobalamin)

Each one is essential for the proper health and wellness of the human body, and deficiencies of any of them can cause significant dysfunction within the body. Let’s go over a few B vitamins that are most essential for energy production.

The Energy-Producing B Vitamins

B1 – AKA Thiamine 

Recommended Daily Intake: 1.2 mg for men | 1.1 mg for women (3)

Vitamin B1 is absolutely essential when it comes to our body’s ability to produce energy from food; without it, those empty carbs would be a lot more empty. Within the body, thiamine (vitamin B1) becomes thiamine pyrophosphate, a molecule key to breaking down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into glucose (4), which powers nearly every single cell function. Typical sources naturally containing B1 include whole grains, pork, and fish, as well as several fruits and vegetables. A deficiency of thiamine can lead to several extremely serious brain conditions (4) – yikes!

B2 – AKA Riboflavin 

Recommended Daily Intake: 1.3 mg for men | 1.1 mg for women (3)

Vitamin B2 is also crucial when it comes to converting food into energy, as it can form one of two molecules necessary in the creation of ATP, the finalized, ready-to-use unit of energy within the cells (4). It also has a number of other important functions unrelated to energy production, such as maintaining the health of the digestive system and liver, hormone production, amino acid creation, and more (5) – it’s a really busy vitamin! Naturally found in a number of animal products and some plant products, a B2 deficiency could occur from poor diet or malnutrition; signs of a deficiency include dry skin, anemia, and inflammation in the mouth (5). 

B6 – AKA Pyridoxine 

Recommended Daily Intake: 1-1.7 mg for men | 1-1.7 mg for women (3)

Don’t forget about B6! It has a wide variety of functions within the body, including aiding with the metabolizing of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids into energy as well as other important molecules – starting to see a theme here? Vitamin B6 also plays a key role in converting stored energy back into glucose so it can be readily used throughout the body (6). B6 is found in a wide variety of foods, so a deficiency of it is typically associated with overall malnutrition. Symptoms of B6 deficiency can consist of weakened immune function, depression, and dry and cracked lips (7). 

Vitamin B and The Plug

Vitamins B1, B2, and B6 are all essential to a series of important body processes that help us stay healthy and happy, especially when it comes to keeping us energized. That’s why… drum roll… we include all of them in The Plug Pills! 

Supplementing your vitamin B intake with The Plug Pills can be especially important in (not uncommon) cases where certain B vitamins are difficult to obtain. Although B1, B2, and B6 are found in non-animal products, vegan diets can make it more difficult to consume sufficient amounts of some B vitamins. This is especially the case with vitamin B2, which is notably more rare in non-animal products. There are also a number of different conditions that can develop and hurt our ability to properly absorb various B vitamins. This is known as malabsorption syndrome. Some of the underlying conditions that cause malabsorption syndromes are more likely to occur with old age (8). 

Although most B vitamins are generally available in multiple food groups, their significance to countless body functions makes it crucial that we have a consistent, sufficient supply. Implementing The Plug Pills into your daily routine is a great way to ensure your vitamin B intake. That’s in addition to the other benefits our plant-based, science-backed formula offers, including liver support, boosted immunity, and gut health optimization. 

Don’t Forget!

Nearly every function in the human body requires energy in some way, shape, or form, and B vitamins are crucial for getting us that energy from the food we eat. Not to mention everything else they do for us… maybe we owe them a thank you?

We hope you’ve discovered a newfound appreciation for B vitamins and all they do to keep us energized and healthy. Bet it doesn’t sound like such a wild claim now, does it? Start taking B vitamins seriously today – and start taking The Plug Pills while you’re at it! 

Bibliography

1. Carpenter K, Baigent MJ. Vitamin-like substances [Internet]. Britannica. Updated 2025 Feb 11. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/science/vitamin/Vitamin-like-substances 

2. B Vitamins [Internet]. MedlinePlus. Updated 2021 Sept 23. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/bvitamins.html 

3. Hanna M, Jaqua E, Nguyen V, Clay J. B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine [Internet]. The Permanente Journal. 2022 June 17;26(2):89-97. Available from: https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/21.204 

4. Osiezagha K, Ali S, Freeman C, Barker CN, Jabeen S, Maitra S, et al. Thiamine Deficiency and Delirium. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience [Internet]. 2013 Apr 10;10(4):26-32. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3659035/ 

5. Brazier Y. Benefits and sources of vitamin B2 [Internet]. Medical News Today. Updated 2023 Nov 22. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219561 

6. Parra M, Stahl S, Hellmann H. Vitamin B6 and Its Role in Cell Metabolism and Physiology. Cells [Internet]. 2018 July 22;7(7):84. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6071262/

7. Vitamin B6 [Internet]. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. 2023 June 16. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/#en3 

8. Schiller LR. Maldigestion Versus Malabsorption in the Elderly. Current Gastroenterology Reports [Internet]. 2020 June 4;22(33). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-020-00771-5