You ask: “Why bother with a b-complex / multivit at all?”
Back around 2008 I was working in Massachusetts and so got a new PCP. It seems that homocysteine (hcy) was a “pet,” test for her w/ males that were + for metabolic syndrome, which was me, ^BP, obese, etc. Additionally, my tongue had marked fissuring (“cracked tongue.).
She recommended a B supplement, especially folic acid. Since then I have taken Bronson Super B 100 + a 800 microgram tablet of folic acid. So, that’s about 1mg (1,000 mcg folic acid) per day.
The next blood test showed a homocysteine level that was well below the normal range. It dropped from the forties to ten. Over the years my tongue lost that central furrowing and now is smooth.
Interestingly, consumerlab.com states: “…large doses of certain B vitamins can cause serious toxicity, as summarized below. The same is true of vitamin C, the other water soluble vitamin.”
In their summary they note B-3 (Niacin) “skin-flushing; liver toxicity; elevated blood sugar.”
Well, that’s half a load of crap and half-true. For more than a decade I took 1.5gram Niacin to extraordinarily good effect of my lipid profile, a vast improvement. The “skin-flushing” in my book is not a toxicity, but simply part of the way it works and that can easily be negated with 86mg aspirin 30 minutes before taking the Niacin along w/ ramping up dosage.
The “liver toxicity,” did not result from instant release niacin, although it did from certain slow-release versions:
“The timed-release tablets and capsules may have fewer side effects than regular niacin. However, the timed-release versions are more likely to cause liver damage. Regardless of which form of niacin you are using, doctors recommend periodic liver function tests when using high doses (above 100 mg per day) of niacin.” Note: at 1.5 grams per day for well over a decade, I never had any liver enzyme issues.
While homocysteine is a normal part of our metabolism, “The aberrantly altered level of homocysteine (commonly hyperhomocysteinemia) triggers various pathological symptoms and subsequently the Hcy-related diseases. Increased plasma homocysteine concentrations could lead to hyperhomocysteinemia which is a risk factor for several pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and is also related to early atherosclerosis symptoms and venous thrombosis. Further, the elevated level of homocysteine is associated with other pathologies like autoimmune responses (diabetes I and diabetes II), neural development (neural tube defects), neurodegenerative diseases, and reproductive health as male and female infertility. Homocysteine and Folic Acid Metabolism | SpringerLink
I do agree that should you have a normal homocysteine level and are absent any signs of b deficiencies that high doses of B-vitamins are not for you.
