This post has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
As we age, it can become more difficult to lose the stubborn belly fat that seems to relentlessly hang around our midsection. Even if you’re keeping a well-balanced diet, fueling your body with nutrients, and getting enough exercise, it can still prove to be quite the battle.
Luckily, ensuring proper nutrition to keep your metabolism up can be simpler than ever when you add the right vitamins and supplements to the mix. While you should already be swapping out diet choices to eliminate added sugar and processed foods, an easy way to fill in any nutritional gaps in your diet is to incorporate a metabolism-boosting vitamin into your daily routine. One such vitamin is a B-complex, which will allow you to get in an ample amount of B vitamins each day.
To learn more about the metabolism-boosting benefits of B vitamins and a B-complex supplement, we spoke to Juliana Tamayo, a registered dietitian at Fitness Clone. She told us these nutrients are an essential part of any healthy diet, especially if you want to lose weight.
B Vitamins And Metabolism
While most people get enough B vitamins from their daily food intake from things like pork, chicken, beans, lentils, whole grains, potatoes, fish, and eggs, various factors including age, genetics, and pregnancy all influence the body's need for optimal B vitamin levels. Tamayo notes that metabolism-boosting B vitamins include thiamin (B1), pyridoxine (B6), folate (B9), and cobalamin (B12). "While there are more B vitamins, including niacin, pantothenic acid, and biotin, these are not as involved in energy metabolism," she says.
Tamayo points out that the best are B12 and B6. "In most cases, vitamin B12 is the most important vitamin to supplement. It is particularly difficult for vegans and vegetarians to obtain this vitamin through diet," Tamayo points out, adding that this B vitamin is "directly related to cell metabolism and is needed for energy," while Thiamin "is directly essential for the conversion of carbohydrates into energy."
Then there's B6, or pyridoxine, which is "essential for macronutrient metabolism" and folate, which helps with cell metabolism. A deficiency in any of these essential vitamins can be detrimental to your overall health. "When you have low levels of any of these vitamins, you might feel tired, sluggish, and in a bad mood. Low vitamin B12 and low folate also lead to anemia, which is a common deficiency among older Americans," Tamayo warns.
By starting your morning off with a B vitamin supplement like B12 or B6, you'll ensure your body is getting the crucial nutrients it needs to boost your metabolism and function at its best. Opting for a B-complex vitamin is even better, as they contain all eight B vitamins conveniently packed into one pill.
Aside from evidence supporting it can aid in reducing stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression while improving overall mood, B-complex vitamins play an essential role in energy metabolism. The main function of a B-complex vitamin is to aid in your body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats as fuel for energy. A deficiency in the waistline-trimming vitamin will cause the body to instead, store these nutrients as fat instead of using them to power its calorie-burning system. "When you supplement with a B complex, you give your body the necessary levels of B vitamins to support bodily processes, including cell metabolism, energy production, DNA regulation, and red blood cell production," Tamayo explains. Perfect!
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, anything from your hormone levels to your physical activity can affect your metabolism. But, proper nutrition and a balanced diet are essential for an improved metabolism—and that includes getting enough B vitamins. And, there are so many B vitamins that can boost your metabolism. Tamayo specifically calls out B12 and B6 as the B-complex vitamins you should consider taking every morning to boost your metabolism. Just be sure to talk to your doctor to make sure B vitamins are right for you!
