Home  Vitamins Vitamins B3, B6, B12 and Folic Acid: A Brain's Best Friends
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Vitamins B3, B6, B12 and Folic Acid:
A Brain’s Best Friends
by Hyla Cass, M.D.
The B vitamins are the real workers in the
enzymes that turn one brain chemical into
another and keep you feeling happy and connected.
For some enzymes you need vitamin B3; for
others, B6, B12 or folic acid. Not surprisingly, deficiency
of any one of these vitamins leads to disconnection
and is associated with depression,
hallucinations and schizophrenia. Supplementing
with these B vitamins has the reverse effect, dramatically
improving mental and emotional well-being.
As long ago as 1957, in the first double-blind
study of its kind, Canadian psychiatrists
Humphrey Osmond and Abram Hoffer proved
that supplementing niacin normalized behavior in
those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Dr. Hoffer has treated more
than 5,000 schizophrenic patients. He claims an
80 percent success rate using vitamin B3 and
other connector nutrients. (His definition of cure:
free of symptoms and able to socialize and pay
income tax.)
Research at King’s College Hospital and the
Institute of Psychiatry in London found that onethird
of all patients with either severe depression
or schizophrenia were deficient in folic acid.
Supplementing folic acid for six months made a
big difference in their symptoms and ability to
relate. Folic acid, together with vitamin B12, is
needed to turn tryptophan into serotonin and
tyrosine into dopamine. It appears then, that
without these vitamins, the higher brain centers
simply can’t work properly.
The effect of these nutrients in isolation is not
nearly as powerful as they are in combination, and
consequently, it is best to supplement them daily
to enhance connection.
Daily Dosage:
25–50 mg of vitamin B3 (niacin); 100 mg of niacinamide; 25–50 mg of
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine); 50–100 mcg of vitamin
B12 (cyanocobalamin); and 400–800 mcg of folic
acid. Plus the following B vitamins for balance: 50
mg of vitamin B1 (thiamine); 25 mg of vitamin B2
(riboflavin); 50 mg of choline and 50 mg of
inositol. TH
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