Do I need a Nutritional Supplement? (Part 2)

Do I need a nutritional supplement? (Part 2)

Most people take B vitamins for stress or energy. While B vitamins don’t reduce stress, they are actively involved in making the energy we need.  B vitamins are coenzymes and act a little like a spark plus in a car; they ignite combustion to run the engine. B vitamins are needed to activate enzymes to create the energy we need. Low energy levels can be a sign of insufficient B vitamins.

B vitamins power enzymes to do various tasks including the processes which remove alcohol. Because alcohol is toxic, the process of breaking down alcohol takes precedence over other uses of B vitamins. Even moderate alcohol consumption can rapidly exhaust the pool of B vitamins that are needed elsewhere.

I take a B complex as is part of my multi-vitamin/mineral/antioxidant formula. I take this to make sure my body has all the B vitamins it needs to create energy. While important, energy is not the main reason I take B vitamins each day.

One of the main reasons I take B vitamins is to give my body the ability to rapidly breakdown a dangerous by-product called homocysteine as we breakdown protein in food.   If unchecked, homocysteine acts like a corrosive agent to the lining (endothelium) of blood vessels.

High homocysteine damages blood vessels and is linked to cardiovascular disease including coronary artery damage and strokes. It is also linked Alzheimer’s, loss of brain function, macular degeneration. High homocysteine can damage any part of our blood vessels and cause or contribute to numerous diseases.

The tragedy is that a few dollars’ worth of vitamins B6, Folate and B12 will enable your body to rapidly break dangerous homocysteine down to a harmless by-product. Adding a well formulated multi-mineral/vitamin/antioxidant like Cell eXtra will prevent deficiencies. More importantly it will lift nutrient levels to the point that our cells can function at their best. This is optimal function.

John Arts (, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For questions or advice contact John on 0800 423559 or email john@abundant.co.nz.  Join his newsletter at www.abundant.co.nz.