NUTRITION

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin, and one of the eight B vitamins. It has an important role in our healthy metabolism and immunity, as well as during development in pregnancy and childhood. The biologically active form of vitamin B6, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) is responsible for more than 100 biochemical reactions in our body, making vitamin B6 an essential nutrient.

Vitamin B5 is one of the essential nutrients and has a very important function in forming red blood cells, converting food into energy and creating stress and sex hormones. However, it doesn’t get the attention it should considering its significance. This means that if we don’t know much about vitamin B5, how will we know if we are experiencing signs and symptoms of deficiency?

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) has an important role in the production of glutathione. It can be taken as a supplement (NAC) or it can be obtained from foods (amino acid L-cysteine). The importance of glutathione as an antioxidant is due to the effects it has on metabolic pathways for mental and physical health, such as anti-cancer, cardiac, immunity, renal, and oxidative stress properties.

Vitamin B3, also called niacin, is one of the water-soluble vitamins, belonging to the vitamin B complex. It can be obtained from many food sources and fortified food products, and can be taken as a dietary supplement. However, important to note is that only 30% of niacin is absorbed, and with niacin’s role in cellular metabolism, having poor nutrition can cause potential health issues.

Vitamin B2 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps our body to metabolize macronutrients and create energy. Riboflavin can be obtained from foods, but even with consumption of (processed) fortified food products, vitamin B2 deficiency can still occur. A better understanding of vitamin B2 might be helpful to improve our health.