B Vitamins Explained: B6, B12, Folate And Pantothenic Acid

What the B vitamins are

The B vitamins are a group of eight water-soluble vitamins. They were first grouped together because early researchers found them in the same foods, such as whole grains and liver. Later work showed they are separate compounds, each with its own chemical name. They share the letter B and a number, but they are not interchangeable.

LumiVelle lists four of them by name on its label: vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate and pantothenic acid. This guide describes each one as an ingredient, covering its names, its food sources and how the label may write it.

The eight members are thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), vitamin B6, biotin (B7), folate (B9) and vitamin B12. The numbers skip some values because compounds once numbered B4, B8 and others were later reclassified or found not to be vitamins at all.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is a group of related compounds, the best known being pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine. On supplement labels the most common form is pyridoxine hydrochloride, with pyridoxal 5-phosphate also used.

B6 occurs widely in foods, in both plant and animal products. Examples include:

B6 is also a good example of why a label may name a compound form. Pyridoxine on its own is not very convenient to blend, so makers pair it with hydrochloric acid to make pyridoxine hydrochloride, which is a stable white powder. The label name simply records that pairing.

• Poultry, pork and fish such as tuna and salmon
• Chickpeas and other legumes
• Potatoes and other starchy vegetables
• Bananas and some other fruits
• Fortified breakfast cereals

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is also called cobalamin because the molecule contains the mineral cobalt at its center. It is made by microorganisms, and it reaches the human food supply mainly through animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Some plant-based foods, like fortified cereals and certain fortified plant drinks, are enriched with it.

On labels, the two forms you will meet most often are cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin, and sometimes adenosylcobalamin. They are different versions of the same vitamin family. Amounts are given in micrograms, shown as mcg, because the quantities involved are very small.

The phrase cobalamin is worth remembering because the mineral cobalt sits at the center of the molecule. It is one of the few vitamins that contains a mineral as part of its structure, which makes it a little unusual in chemistry terms.

Folate and folic acid

Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 found in foods, and its name comes from the Latin word for leaf, folium, since leafy greens are a classic source. Folic acid is the laboratory-made form used in fortified foods and many supplements. The two are closely related but not identical.

Foods containing folate include:

• Spinach, kale and other leafy greens
• Asparagus and Brussels sprouts
• Lentils, beans and chickpeas
• Oranges and other citrus fruits
• Eggs and liver

Why folate has its own unit

You may notice that folate is written as mcg DFE on current labels. DFE stands for dietary folate equivalents, a unit created because folic acid and food folate are used by the body in different ways, so a simple microgram count would not compare them fairly. One microgram of food folate counts as one DFE, while folic acid counts for more per microgram.

Labels often show both numbers, such as 400 mcg DFE, followed in parentheses by the amount of folic acid. Newer products may also use forms such as methylfolate or L-5-MTHF, which are names for already-converted versions of the vitamin.

If you want a quick handy shortcut, think of DFE as a currency exchange. Different forms of the same vitamin are converted into one common unit so a shopper can compare two bottles fairly without doing any math at the shelf.

Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5

Pantothenic acid is vitamin B5. Its name comes from the Greek pantothen, meaning from everywhere, which fits: it is present in almost every food in small amounts. Avocados, mushrooms, eggs, chicken, beef, whole grains, sunflower seeds and sweet potatoes are among those frequently mentioned.

On labels, you will usually find it as pantothenic acid, calcium pantothenate or d-calcium pantothenate. The calcium form is the same vitamin paired with a mineral, which makes it steadier for use in products. The amount is given in milligrams.

In the United States, folic acid is added to enriched grain products such as certain breads, pastas and breakfast cereals. A label reader may therefore meet the same word in a bread ingredient list and on a supplement panel.

Reading B vitamin lines on a panel

B vitamin lines follow the same pattern as other vitamins on a Supplement Facts panel. Each is listed by name, followed by an amount per serving and a percent of the daily value. Because the vitamins dissolve in water, they are often added to products in water-friendly forms.

LumiVelle is a daily gummy dietary supplement with 30 gummies per bottle, and its suggested use is one gummy daily, preferably with a meal, or as the label directs. The Supplement Facts panel on the bottle gives the form and amount of each B vitamin it names.

One more tip: a mineral name inside a B vitamin line, such as calcium in calcium pantothenate, only identifies the partner molecule. It does not mean a separate mineral amount is being claimed.