orangebear
Member
So, I've been experimenting with B vitamins over the course of several years, and I've learned they can be beneficial, and I am likely deficient in some due to years of poor digestion, but I also have to be careful with the amounts and forms due to methylation issues. I started with B complexes, and they almost always made me feel better for a week or two and then worse, so eventually I had to build my own stack, one vitamin at a time. Now, I understand the ultimate goal is to not need many supplements, but in the meantime, here's what I've built so far, and I'm still working on it. I'm also curious about what exact stacks, forms, and amounts other people use from both a low vA and a Ray Peat perspective, so that I might get ideas on how to experiment with tweaking my own stack. So, without further ado, here's my stack and how I came to it.
B1 as thiamin HCl — between 50–100mg
B2 as riboflavin USP — 6.5mg
B3 — 30mg as niacinamide in the morning and between 25–300mg as niacin split over 2–3 times a day
B5 as pantothenic acid — 30mg so far
B6 — I don't supplement, but will occasionally eat high B6 foods, such as skipjack tuna
B7 — Another I get from food right now
B9 — I also don't supplement folate at the moment though I have tried folinic acid in small amounts and didn't notice much of a difference. I do eat beans, asparagus, etc.
B12 — I also don't supplement and I eat plenty of meat, but I have heard it's a good idea to try with my methylation profile
I don't remember the exact reasons for starting B1 and B2, but there were a number. Digestion, energy production, balancing out ketone bodies (especially since ketosis is not my goal these days), antidote to vA metabolites, etc. As for B3, both niacin and niacinamide reduce anxiety for me by somewhere around 90%, even at tiny doses; larger doses don't seem to make a big difference, so I sometimes try different doses. It might help with heartburn sometimes, but not always. B5 is one I just started and I'm hoping it helps with digestion. It might be, but it's still early to tell and I know I'm taking a rather small dose. I got the idea to try it from someone's post on the forum and they mentioned the dose, but I don't remember who said it and in which thread. As for B6, I'm being cautious about it because I watched one of Meri Arthur's videos talking about how if you are deficient in other B vitamins and your metabolism is off, B6 can be converted into a nerotoxic compound. Dr. Smith also considers it a toxin and warns against consuming it, but I think like in many things he's right on the surface but doesn't understand the complex details. B6 is probably is necessary, but I wouldn't want to supplement it while my metabolism is off and risk it hurting me. If anyone has any details to share on B6, I'd love to hear more information about it. I haven't given a lot of thought to B7 yet, so I can't say much about it yet. With B9, like I said above, I haven't tried supplementing a lot; I didn't see much of a difference with a little, and I heard supplementing a lot can lead to weight gain if the metabolism isn't fixed.
Now, for B12, I've heard that adenosylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin are good forms for me to take and are very beneficial for someone with an MTHFR A1298C mutation, which is the mutation that fails to put the brakes on methylation and can make one overmethylate. Speaking of methylation, it is probably one of the reasons methylated B complexes caused me trouble after a week or two. Another thing is that back in 2020, my blood B12 was off the charts, which probably means that it wasn't being transported into the cells, so I may have had a functional B12 deficiency but supplementing B12 probably wouldn't have solved it. Now, I also felt much sicker back then and things have probably changed since, but I'm a little loathe to go and get poked again. I wonder if there is some other way to tell whether I should or should not supplement B12 and what to look out for if I do start.
So, what stacks do you guys take and why? I'm wondering if we could come up with some starter stacks that could work for different people and various contexts and stages of detox and gut healing. Also, some good information to have is what to eventually eliminate as a supplement as people get healthier and the microbiome takes over producing some of these B vitamins.
B1 as thiamin HCl — between 50–100mg
B2 as riboflavin USP — 6.5mg
B3 — 30mg as niacinamide in the morning and between 25–300mg as niacin split over 2–3 times a day
B5 as pantothenic acid — 30mg so far
B6 — I don't supplement, but will occasionally eat high B6 foods, such as skipjack tuna
B7 — Another I get from food right now
B9 — I also don't supplement folate at the moment though I have tried folinic acid in small amounts and didn't notice much of a difference. I do eat beans, asparagus, etc.
B12 — I also don't supplement and I eat plenty of meat, but I have heard it's a good idea to try with my methylation profile
I don't remember the exact reasons for starting B1 and B2, but there were a number. Digestion, energy production, balancing out ketone bodies (especially since ketosis is not my goal these days), antidote to vA metabolites, etc. As for B3, both niacin and niacinamide reduce anxiety for me by somewhere around 90%, even at tiny doses; larger doses don't seem to make a big difference, so I sometimes try different doses. It might help with heartburn sometimes, but not always. B5 is one I just started and I'm hoping it helps with digestion. It might be, but it's still early to tell and I know I'm taking a rather small dose. I got the idea to try it from someone's post on the forum and they mentioned the dose, but I don't remember who said it and in which thread. As for B6, I'm being cautious about it because I watched one of Meri Arthur's videos talking about how if you are deficient in other B vitamins and your metabolism is off, B6 can be converted into a nerotoxic compound. Dr. Smith also considers it a toxin and warns against consuming it, but I think like in many things he's right on the surface but doesn't understand the complex details. B6 is probably is necessary, but I wouldn't want to supplement it while my metabolism is off and risk it hurting me. If anyone has any details to share on B6, I'd love to hear more information about it. I haven't given a lot of thought to B7 yet, so I can't say much about it yet. With B9, like I said above, I haven't tried supplementing a lot; I didn't see much of a difference with a little, and I heard supplementing a lot can lead to weight gain if the metabolism isn't fixed.
Now, for B12, I've heard that adenosylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin are good forms for me to take and are very beneficial for someone with an MTHFR A1298C mutation, which is the mutation that fails to put the brakes on methylation and can make one overmethylate. Speaking of methylation, it is probably one of the reasons methylated B complexes caused me trouble after a week or two. Another thing is that back in 2020, my blood B12 was off the charts, which probably means that it wasn't being transported into the cells, so I may have had a functional B12 deficiency but supplementing B12 probably wouldn't have solved it. Now, I also felt much sicker back then and things have probably changed since, but I'm a little loathe to go and get poked again. I wonder if there is some other way to tell whether I should or should not supplement B12 and what to look out for if I do start.
So, what stacks do you guys take and why? I'm wondering if we could come up with some starter stacks that could work for different people and various contexts and stages of detox and gut healing. Also, some good information to have is what to eventually eliminate as a supplement as people get healthier and the microbiome takes over producing some of these B vitamins.
