I am researching B vitamins to figure out what each one does β they are often discussed as a bloc, and they must be similar enough not to get their own alphabet letter.
They are:
Thiamine (B1)
Riboflavin (B2)
Niacin (B3)
Pantothenic acid (B5)
Pyridoxine (B6)
Biotin (B7)
Folate (B9)
Cobalamins (B12)
I have learned there is no B4, B8, B10 or B11 because those numbers were once assigned to substances that have since been stripped! of their vitamin status either because the human body produces them itself, or because humans donβt actually need them for essential functions
B4 can be either choline, adenine or carnetine
Inositol (the substance beloved as a panacea by a nutty local GP that I and many local acquaintances have been bemused to consult) is sometimes called vitamin B8
B10 was para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) which blocks UVB and so is best known as a now-disfavoured sunscreen ingredient (I remember sunscreens being marketed as βPABA-freeβ)
Vitamin B11 was pteroylheptaglutamic acid (PHGA), a derivative of folate
The numbers go up to 20!! But the 8 main ones are the B-team A-team
#vitamins #BVitamins #nutrition #chemistry