Why B Vitamins Are Important for Teenagers

Parental expectations, academic and social pressures, multiple responsibilities, relationships, and a pandemic, all mixed together with raging hormones. Today's teens are facing a stress load that is on par with adults, as they try to navigate social media, deal with cyberbullying and in-person bullying, maintain good grades in an ever-changing school environment, and the list goes on.

Adolescence is known as a time filled with angst as teens transition into adulthood. The pandemic and the uncertainties of our current time have intensified the stressors of this transition for many youth. Building healthy self-care strategies into daily routines is absolutely essential to the health and well-being of our teen generation.

Mental Health

Humans are social creatures, no matter what age. For teens, social connections are a key developmental component, so the stay-at-home pandemic measures and virtual learning have isolated many. Making sure teens are still connecting with peers through virtual chats or social distance interactions is important to maintaining their well-being. Encouraging them to find a peer they can relate to is another way to support them. Knowing someone else feels the way they do can help lessen loneliness and isolation.

Physical Health

Exercise, healthy eating, and adequate sleep have long been the core pillars of health. But when the world is spinning, stress is at an all-time high, sleep is elusive and take-out food makes it harder to get the nutrition we need, we can all use a little extra support. This applies to teens as much as it does to adults!

The B Keys

Enter B vitamins. B vitamins are water-soluble vitamins known for helping to support energy, brain health, and metabolism. Our bodies deplete B vitamins faster during times of stress, and signs of this depletion can include fatigue, irritability, weakness, digestive issues, and anemia. For teens especially, B vitamins help support skin health, and immune system, nervous system and stress response, as well as energy levels. Here is a breakdown of each B vitamin and what it does in the body:

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Converts carbohydrates into energy and supports the heart and nervous system. A healthy nervous system equals a healthy stress response!

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Promotes healthy vision, energy and red blood cell production.

Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide)
Supports nerve function and skin health.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
The stress-reducing B vitamin, helps to support the production of cortisol and other stress hormones

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Helps break down hormones in the liver and maintain healthy skin, which can in turn help reduce acne, sugar cravings and mood swings.

Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
Associated with healthy hair, skin and nails.

Vitamin B9 (Folate)
Supports the production of DNA and red blood cells.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Helps maintain energy and contributes to concentration.

In recognition of these unique transition years in your children’s lives, Health First is launching a new line of Family First Teen products that can help boost your teen’s capacity to deal with stress, metabolize nutrients, optimize energy and achieve an overall sense of well-being.

Most importantly, these new products will help guide your teens towards healthy self-care strategies by connecting them with stories from other teens who are dealing with difficulties and sharing what they do to feel better. The product labels will let teens know how to ‘Join the Adventure’!

Health First Family First Teen B is the first product in this new line and contains all the key B vitamins in their active forms, meaning they are highly absorbable. Teens aged 12 and older take just one capsule to achieve their daily recommended dosage. It is vegan, and free from magnesium stearate, gluten and dairy, and like all Health First supplements, free of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and GMOs – so you can feel good about sharing it with your teen! And here’s a little secret: you can use Teen B too!