Brain fog, sleepless nights, seesawing hormones – the journey through menopause can be tough. But we can help our minds and bodies weather the storm by making sure we’re getting all the nutrients we need to stay healthy during the transition.
One key example is vitamin B complex. This group of 8 different B vitamins has numerous benefits for our mood, energy levels, and physical health.
Getting enough of these B vitamins is important at every stage of life. However, it may be especially beneficial during peri-menopause and menopause, because vitamin B complex helps with many of the same things that women commonly struggle with in this stage of life.
In this blog post, we’ll look in more detail at the different B vitamins that make up vitamin B complex and their benefits during menopause.
We’ll also give some tips on how to integrate more B vitamins into your diet.
What is vitamin B complex?
There are 8 different vitamins that make up vitamin B complex. Each has slightly different benefits, but they all have an important role to play in maintaining our overall health and wellbeing.
The 8 main B vitamins are:
- B1 – also known as thiamin
- B2 – also known as riboflavin
- B3 – also known as niacin
- B5 – also known as pantothenic acid
- B6
- B7 – also known as biotin
- B9 – also known as folate and folic acid
- B12
There are other types of B vitamin too, but these 8 are the main ones and are the ones most usually included in vitamin B complex.
What are the benefits of vitamin B complex for menopause?
As we’ve already seen, there are lots of different types of vitamin B and each has slightly different benefits for our minds and bodies during the menopause. Overall though, B vitamins are considered essential in this stage of life because of their role in hormone regulation, energy production, and nervous system function.
Let’s look in more detail at how vitamin B complex can support us during menopause and the role of specific B vitamins in bringing us those benefits.
1. Mental health and cognition
Menopause can bring with it many surprises, not least the effect it can have on our mental health and cognition. Mood swings, anxiety, stress, and depression are some of the commonly reported symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause, as are memory loss and mind fog.
Interestingly, stress, anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline are also common signs of vitamin B deficiencies. In particular, studies have linked higher levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B9 (folate) and vitamin B12 with reduced depression, anxiety, and memory issues.
Vitamins B6 and B12 are involved with the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your mood (and your sleep).
Meanwhile, research suggests that supplementing with folic acid (B9) can help to boost cognitive performance, especially when it comes to tasks related to memory.
2. Bone health
One of the longer-term impacts of decreasing oestrogen is the effect it has on our bones, leaving post-menopausal women more vulnerable to bone density loss and osteoporosis.
Vitamin D and calcium are the nutrients most often associated with bone health. However, B vitamins also have a vital role to play here. According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, vitamins B6, B12, and folate (B9) all contribute to bone strength and help to avoid breaks.
3. Hormone regulation
B vitamins also play a role in the production and regulation of various hormones, including sex hormones like oestrogen, sleep hormones like melatonin, and mood hormones like dopamine and serotonin.
In particular, vitamin B6 is often associated with hormone balance in women. Although most of the research has focused on the relationship between B6 and PMS, this vitamin may also be useful during the hormonal rollercoaster that is menopause.
4. Hot flushes
Other common symptoms of menopause are hot flashes and night sweats. Not only can these be uncomfortable and irritating, but they also contribute to sleep disturbance and insomnia – which in turn can affect our mood, as well as our physical wellbeing.
Research indicates that supplementing with folic acid (vitamin B9) can help to reduce the severity, frequency, and duration of hot flashes. Excellent news for anyone struggling with this unpleasant side-effect of menopause.
5. Sleep and energy
Many peri-menopausal and menopausal women report low energy and sleep issues. When you are already feeling stressed and irritable because of changing hormone levels, disrupted nights and lack of energy only make these symptoms worse.
B vitamins are important here for two reasons. First, as a group, B vitamins are involved in energy production, supporting our bodies to release the energy we need from our food and helping us avoid low energy and fatigue.
Second, various B vitamins are associated with better sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, vitamins B3, B6, B9, and B12 are all involved in the production of sleep hormones.
In particular, B12 is required for the production of melatonin, one of the key hormones that regulates our sleep cycles. B12 and B6 are also involved in serotonin production, which again is necessary for healthy sleep.
How to get enough B vitamins
Your body can’t store most B vitamins, so you need to make sure you have sufficient amounts in your daily diet to meet your body’s needs.
Fortunately, there are plenty of dietary sources of the different B vitamins. Here are some of the main food groups to look out for:
- Milk: B2, B6, B12,
- Eggs: B2, B3, B5, B12
- Meat and poultry: B3, B5, B6, B12
- Fish: B3, B6, B12
- Peas: B1, B9
- Liver: B, B5, B9
- Some fortified breakfast cereals: B1, B2, B6, B9, B12
- Wholegrain bread: B1, B3
- Mushrooms: B2, B5
- Leafy greens: B9
You may notice that this list is heavy in animal products. While many B vitamins can also be found in plant-based foods, such as wheat, legumes, mushrooms, avocados, and leafy greens, the exception is B12, which is only found naturally in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products.
As a result, if you are vegan, you’ll need to supplement your diet with B12. Many vegan products are now fortified with B12, but most vegans also take supplements to make sure they are getting the right amount.
While most non-vegans should, in theory, be able to meet their vitamin B requirements through diet alone, it is also worth noting that many older adults are deficient in B vitamins, especially B12 and folate (B9).
This is partly because many of us don’t get enough through our diets, but also because our ability to extract nutrients like B12 from our food can decrease as we get older. Certain medications can also play a role in vitamin B deficiencies.
As a result, it can be worth supplementing your diet with a vitamin B complex that contains the different B vitamins we’ve discussed in this blog post.
The important thing here is balance – while supplementing with a vitamin B complex can be a great way to make sure you are meeting your needs, taking too much of some B vitamins can cause issues.
The NHS recommends the following daily maximum limits for B vitamins:
- B1: 100 mg
- B2: 40 mg
- B3: 17 mg
- B5: 200 mg
- B6: 10 mg unless instructed otherwise by a doctor
- B7: 0.9 mg
- B9: 1 mg
- B12: 2 mg
This doesn’t mean you need to take as much as this every day, just that these are the safe upper limit that you shouldn’t exceed if you do choose to take a vitamin B complex in addition to a balanced diet.
Ultimately, taking a vitamin B complex won’t make your menopause symptoms disappear. But making sure your body and mind are well nourished makes you better able to cope with the various symptoms that menopause throws your way.
And, in some cases, getting enough B vitamins in your diet might also help to reduce the severity of some of your symptoms and support your long-term mental and physical health.
References
B vitamins and folic acid, the NHS, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/, consulted 27/06/2024
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Horvat, P., Gardiner, J., Kubinova, R., Pajak, A., Tamosiunas, A., Schöttker, B., Pikhart, H., Peasey, A., Jansen, E., & Bobak, M. (2016). Serum folate, vitamin B-12 and cognitive function in middle and older age: The HAPIEE study. Experimental gerontology, 76, 33–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2016.01.011
Ma, F., Wu, T., Zhao, J., Song, A., Liu, H., Xu, W., & Huang, G. (2016). Folic acid supplementation improves cognitive function by reducing the levels of peripheral inflammatory cytokines in elderly Chinese subjects with MCI. Scientific reports, 6, 37486. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep37486
Vitamins, The Royal Osteoporosis Society, https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/bone-health/nutrition-for-bones/vitamins-minerals-and-nutrients/vitamins, consulted 27/06/2024
A Guide To The Best Supplements To Balance Hormones, Forbes Health, https://www.forbes.com/health/womens-health/best-supplements-to-balance-hormones/ , consulted 28/06/2024
Hanna, M., Jaqua, E., Nguyen, V., & Clay, J. (2022). B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine. The Permanente journal, 26(2), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/21.204
Bani, S., Hasanpour, S., Farzad Rik, L., Hasankhani, H., & Sharami, S. H. (2013). The effect of folic Acid on menopausal hot flashes: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of caring sciences, 2(2), 131–140. https://doi.org/10.5681/jcs.2013.016
Vitamins for sleep, The Sleep Foundation, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-aids/vitamins-for-sleep, consulted 28/06/2024
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