The importance of vitamin B for exercise is very under done in HSC PDHPE textbooks. We have a tendency to focus on Iron, Calcium, and the macro nutrients (Carbohydrate, protein, and fat), but we spend little time looking into the importance of vitamins and minerals. I will post further articles looking at other micro nutrients, but today’s article focus on the importance of vitamin B for exercise.
Vitamin B is a large group of vitamins that include: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), folate, biotin, and cyanocobalamin (B12). B vitamins are water soluble, which means they are lost each day through urine and need to be replaced. The main b vitamins that are important for exercise are: thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, B-12 and folate. I won’t cover each B-Vitamin individually. Instead I will discuss the importance of vitamin b for exercise in general.
Vitamin B is important for exercise because they are used to complete the following actions, which are needed for exercise and recovery.
- Vitamin B is important for the formation of red blood cells. Our body cannot produce red blood cells without vitamin B (particularly folate) making vitamin B as important as iron for aerobic exercise.
- Vitamin B is important for the breakdown of carbohydrate (glycogen and glucose), and protein in order to produce ATP. This is particularly important for exercise of higher intensities where carbohydrate becomes the main source of fuel.
- Vitamin B is important for the repair and rebuilding of body tissue. After training or other forms of exercise, in order for the body to recover properly it needs adequate levels of B vitamins. This means training will produce less physiological adaptations than it could if the athlete had adequate amounts of vitamin B.
The importance of vitamin B for exercise is clear. Low levels of vitamin B will negatively impact performance be reducing ATP production and oxygen delivery required during performance. It will also reduce the physiological adaptations to training resulting in poorer performance.
To get more vitamin B athletes should eat more of the following:
- green vegetables (asparagus, broccoli), particularly leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuces).
- whole grains (brown/black rice, wholemeal products)
- legumes (lentils, beans etc)
- mushrooms
- meat (red and fish)
It should be noted that up to 90% of B vitamins can be lost in the cooking process, making foods such as grains, legumes and meat less viable as sources of vitamin B.
Sources
Kathleen Woolf, Melinda M. Manore (2006). “B-Vitamins and Exercise: Does Exercise Alter Requirements?” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (16: 5).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/56869.php
Melinda M. Manore, Nanna L Myer, and Janice Thompson (2009). Sport Nutrition for Health and Performance (2nd Edition). Lower Mitcham: Human Kinetics (you can preview the book here).
