You may have heard that taking a B Vitamin supplement will give you more energy for practice and help you perform better at games.  Is this really true?  How does that work?

· Vitamins and minerals are necessary for many metabolic processes in the body (1).

· Vitamins are important in sustaining growth and development (1).

· There are different types of Vitamin B: Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin), Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B-5 (Pantothenic Acid), Vitamin B-6, and Vitamin B-12.

· B-vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin B-6 are necessary in the energy-producing pathways of the body, and vitamin B-12 is required for the production of new cells and the repair of damaged cells (2).

· The human body stores several years' worth of vitamin B12, so nutritional deficiency of this vitamin is extremely rare (3).

Just like our body doesn’t gain more muscle from getting more protein, our body does not miraculously “gain” energy from getting more B vitamins.  Taking a B vitamin daily will not help you jump higher, move faster down the court, or have a quicker reaction time.  We need B vitamins for energy, just like protein is required to make muscle, but our energy is going to come from carbohydrate sources, not simply vitamins.  So our body will use what we need.  Exercise does not increase your need for B vitamins, either (4).

What is the right amount of Vitamin B to get per day?
Vitamin B-1 (also known as Thiamin): 1.5 mg
Vitamin B-2 (also known as Riboflavin): 1.7 mg
Vitamin B-5 (also known as Pantothenic Acid): 10 mg
Vitamin B-6: 2 mg
Vitamin B-12: 6mg

Some good sources of Vitamin B include chicken, bananas, potatoes, spinach, and grilled steak.  Because there are so many types of B Vitamins, get a variety of those foods daily.

Vitamin C can prevent a cold: Fact or Fiction?

At some point in your life, someone probably told you to drink orange juice or take Vitamin C for a cold.  Catching a cold will leave you feeling sluggish and your performance will suffer, so that may sound like a great idea.

· Vitamin C is an antioxidant.
· This vitamin is much more powerful when combined with Vitamin E, and the right amount of Vitamin C does boost your immune system (5).
· Megadoses (greater than one gram per day) of Vitamin C has not been shown in research to prevent colds.

Just like Vitamin B, our body does not need an extreme amount of Vitamin C.  This vitamin is an antioxidant, which means that it binds toxins called free radicals in the body and carries them out of the body.  It is true that you will need more Vitamin C than the average person because you are an athlete (4).  Prolonged practices and games (when your body uses the anaerobic exercise system) cause oxidative stress on the body, and Vitamin C is an antioxidant.  Therefore, Vitamin C can help protect the body from this oxidative stress.  You can get the extra Vitamin C that you need from eating correctly, though.

Our body’s immune system fights viruses and bacteria, not Vitamin C.  However, getting the correct amount of Vitamin C can boost your immune system and increase the chances of you fighting off that cold before it happens.  Unfortunately, you cannot start taking Vitamin C when you get a cold and expect it to make you better.  If someone tries to pass you a cold, make sure you wash your hands, get plenty of sleep, and get great overall nutrition!

How much Vitamin C do you need? 60 mg is what the recommended daily intake is, but you might need about 100 mg because you are an athlete.  As little as one orange and half a cup of broccoli give you more than what you need for the day.

1. Volpe SL. Micronutrient requirements for athletes. Clin Sports Med. 2007 Jan;26(1):119-30.
2. Woolf K, Manore MM.  B-vitamins and exercise: does exercise alter requirements? Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Oct;16(5):453-84.
3. Vitamin B12. The Mayo Clinic. 4 October 2006. On-line. Accessed 5 February 2007. Available WWW: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-B12/NS_patient-vitaminb12
4. Dunford, Marie. Sports Nutrition. Chicago: The American Dietetic Association, 2006.
5. Oz, MC and Roizen, MF. You: The Owner’s Manual. New York: Harper Collins, 2005.