This article is from "Nankai Sun Pharmacist", which is used for medical science popularization for reference. Vitamin B is a class of essential water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, folic acid and vitamin B12, etc., vitamin B is a component of metabolic coenzymes, which plays a key role in regulating the body's material energy metabolism and maintaining normal physiological functions, such as participating in the metabolism of sugar, protein and lipids. Vitamin B cannot be synthesized in the human body or is synthesized in very small quantities to meet the body's needs and must be obtained from food. Vitamin B or vitamin B precursors are widely found in natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, etc., and if the diet is balanced and there are no special needs, the needs can generally be met through diet.
Vitamin B has a wide range of physiological functions, vitamin B1 participates in the formation of coenzymes in the body, maintains normal glucose metabolism and nerve and digestive system functions, insufficient intake can lead to vitamin B1 deficiency, and severe deficiency can lead to "beriberi" and peripheral neuritis. Vitamin B2 is a component of coenzymes that are involved in the metabolism of sugars, proteins, and fats, maintaining normal visual function and promoting growth. Niacin is converted into nicotinamide in the body, which participates in the biological oxidation process in the body, and when it is deficient, it produces pellagra, with symptoms including glossitis, dermatitis, irritability, insomnia, lack of appetite, paresthesia, etc. Vitamin B6 is an important component of coenzymes, which is involved in the normal metabolism of sugar, protein and fat, and is related to the production of white blood cells and hemoglobin. Pantothenic acid is involved in the normal metabolism of sugars, proteins, and fats, and maintains the normal function of epithelial cells. Folic acid is an essential substance for the growth and reproduction of body cells, promotes the maturation and ** of red blood cells, and maintains normal hematopoietic function. Vitamin B12 is involved in the metabolism of folic acid in the human body and maintains the normal function of the hematopoietic and nervous systems.
Vitamin B deficiency generally does not occur in healthy people with a balanced diet, but vitamin B deficiency may occur in people such as picky eating, ** and children, adolescents and pregnant women due to reduced intake or increased physiological needs of the body. In addition, patients with digestive diseases such as peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, and short bowel syndrome have an increased incidence of vitamin B deficiency due to decreased intake, decreased intestinal vitamin absorption, and/or increased excretion. Perioperative patients with major surgery are prone to vitamin B deficiency due to insufficient intake due to long-term fasting (5 days). Critically ill patients are prone to vitamin B deficiency due to the increase in vitamin consumption due to their own high stress metabolic state. Finally, elderly patients with obesity and rapid weight loss, liver insufficiency, and underlying diseases are also at high risk of vitamin B deficiency. The above-mentioned groups of people can use special preparations of vitamin B under the guidance of a doctor.
Vitamin B is a water-soluble vitamin necessary for the human body, and should be absolutely forbidden for those who are allergic to it. In addition, niacin should be contraindicated in patients with active liver disease or persistently significant and unexplained elevated liver enzymes, active peptic ulcer, and arterial hemorrhage; Vitamin B12 can promote the growth of malignant tumors, so it should be contraindicated in patients with malignant tumors, and the use of vitamin B12 in patients with familial hereditary retrobulbar optic neuritis and smoking amblyopia may aggravate nerve damage and should be contraindicated; For megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, if continuous use of folic acid in high doses, the serum vitamin B12 level can be further reduced, and the neurological damage can develop irreversibly, so folic acid alone should not be used in such patients**.
Finally, it is also necessary to pay attention to the interaction between vitamin B and other drugs, such as vitamin B is easily destroyed by alkaline drugs and inactive, so it should be avoided to take it with sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate. Bananas, persimmons, hawthorns, tea and other foods, as well as gallnut, rhubarb, knotweed and other traditional Chinese medicines contain tannins, which can be combined with vitamin B to form insoluble precipitates, thereby affecting the intestinal absorption of vitamin B, so it is not suitable for combination. The combination of vitamin B6 and levodopa can reduce the efficacy of its **Parkinson's disease, so it cannot be used together. Glucocorticoids, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, isoniazid, and estrogen can antagonize vitamin B6 or increase the renal excretion of vitamin B6, causing anemia and peripheral neuritis, so it is not suitable for combination. Isoniazid can prevent niacin from binding to coenzyme I, resulting in niacin deficiency, so it should not be combined. Vitamin C can inhibit the absorption of folic acid in the gastrointestinal tract, so it should not be taken together. Aminoglycoside antibiotics, p-aminosalicylic acid, phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone, colchicine, etc. can reduce the intestinal absorption of vitamin B12, chloramphenicol can offset the hematopoietic effect of vitamin B12, heavy drinking can lead to vitamin B12 absorption disorders, cholestyramine, activated charcoal can adsorb vitamin B12, reduce its absorption, so it should not be used together.