Vitamin B8

Vitamin B8 (inositol, inositol) in 1848 was discovered by the German biochemist Liebig. Very few people know, what exactly from this vitamin do or make the majority of restful preparations. Thanks to this vitamin, you can forget what insomnia is, as it enters into sleeping pills. What other useful features of vitamin B8, we now know.

General information about vitamin B8

Vitamin B8 is scientifically called inositol and inositol. A large number of it is concentrated in tears, seeds, nerve cells and liquid of the lens of the eye. The vitamin B8 enters our body in the form of glucose, and then it is synthesized from it into the final product - inositol.

In experiments on mice, it was shown that in the absence of this water-soluble factor in food, in addition to stopping growth, there is a peculiar loss of wool cover and fatty liver infiltration with cholesterol deposition. Addition of liver extracts to animals eliminated these phenomena. A substance that has a therapeutic effect was called a factor against alopecia and was later identified with a phosphate ester of inositol. Vitamin properties are also possessed by phytin - an acid of inositolphosphoric acid.

Inositol is a cyclic hexahydric alcohol of cyclohexane.

Vitamin is resistant to acids and alkalis. The most common is inactive mesoinositol. In animals on an isotdeficit diet, in addition to specific alopecia, neurological and trophic disorders are observed, impaired coordination of movements, convulsions of the limbs and complete loss of vision. Inositol participates in the exchange of phosphotides.

A whole group of inositolphosphotides has been isolated, the structure and role of which is being studied.

In the blood, inositol is found, including in free form, in a concentration of 0.37-0.76 mg / dl. An additional source of it is the synthesis in the intestine. Sulfonamides and some other medicinal substances can inhibit its formation by microflora. Excretion of inositol with urine is small - up to 12 mg per day, it increases sharply in diabetes and chronic nephritis. Inositol in the body is destroyed with the formation of glucuronic acid followed by its oxidation. 

The amount of vitamin B8 needed per day

In a day an adult will have 1-1.5 grams of this vitamin. The maximum size of a dose of vitamin per day has not yet been determined.

How is vitamin B8 digested?

It is known that vitamin B8 is well absorbed together with vitamin E and other vitamins included in group "B". Inositol interacts well with choline (vitamin B4) followed by the formation of lecithin.

Useful action of vitamin B8 on the human body

Vitamin B8 in the body contributes to the synthesis of fats in the body, the normal passage of nerve impulses. If the inositol in the body is enough, then the liver, skin and hair remain healthy. Another vitamin B8 promotes the dissolution of cholesterol, protects the vessel walls from brittleness. The motor activity of the stomach and intestines is supported precisely by inositol. As already mentioned, inositol can soothingly act on the body.

Inositol is found in the composition of phosphoglycerols (derivatives of phosphatidic acid), it is a component of phosphatidylinositol. The biological role of inositol is associated with the metabolism of phosphoglycerols and the formation of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate - one of the most active secondary messengers (messengers) of intracellular signals. Inositol has a powerful lipotropic effect, inhibits the development of liver dystrophy in animals on a protein-free diet, and in humans with malignant neoplasms.

Inositol is found in spinal fluid, and its content does not decrease with meningitis and epidemic encephalitis. With tuberculous meningitis, its concentration increases. With prolonged inositol deficiency, animals die. Death occurs faster with a simultaneous deficit in the diet of paraminobenzoic acid. The absence of inositol in the diet also has a negative effect on the function of the gastrointestinal tract. Violated motor function of the stomach and intestines. Essential value of inositol has for fetal development and in early infancy. For lung development in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (levels in the first 2 months of life are approximately 4 times higher than in adults).

Symptoms of vitamin B8 deficiency

People with lack of vitamin B8 show insomnia, excessive irritability, they suffer from frequent constipation. Alopecia and skin diseases may also indicate a lack of inositol in the body. Stopping the growth in children is a clear sign of vitamin B8 deficiency. Recently, scientists made a discovery: the lack of vitamin inositol in the body can "disarm" all the other vitamins of the "B" group, that is, due to a deficiency of one vitamin and the others lose their properties.

Signs of an overabundance of vitamin B8

An excess of inositol in the body does not appear, except that this science is still unknown.

Factors that can reduce the amount of vitamin B8 in foods

It is known that inositol is very resistant to any temperature changes. Alkaline and acidic media also do not affect the amount of inositol contained in food.

Why can there be a deficiency of vitamin B8?

Alcohol and, of course, caffeine can destroy inositol in the human body, therefore, in order not to harm your health, you should limit the intake of these two substances.

Which products contain B8?

Inositol is widely distributed in nature. And besides yeast and liver found in fruits, berries, vegetables, cereals, milk, meat, internal organs of animals.
In products of animal origin, inositol is mainly in bound form, and in plants in the form of fetin.

Inositol for medical purposes is used for liver diseases. In medical practice, phytin is used as a source of phosphorus in nervous diseases. He is prescribed inside at a dose of 0.25-0.5 g 3 times a day for 6-8 weeks.

A sufficient amount of inositol is contained in a variety of cereals. Lentil contains 130 mg of vitamin, in rice bran can be kept up to 460 mg, wheat germ can contain up to 770 mg, oatmeal and barley contain from 270 to 390 mg of inositol. Green peas contains up to 240 mg of vitamin B8, and ordinary roasted peanuts - up to 180 mg. Fruit - products that include inositol. Grapefruit, for example, contains up to 150 mg of inositol, and an orange - 210 mg. Choose what you like best and eat more often.