The Vitamin B Complex in Normal Nutrition

Abstract

DURING the last decade, distinct advances have been made in our knowledge of the chemistry and physiology of vitamins. Perhaps some of the most interesting observations have been made in the field of the vitamin B complex. There may be two reasons for this situation. First, the chemical structure of the water-soluble vitamins is somewhat less complicated than that of the fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin B₁ was first synthesized in 1936, and we have seen an average of one B vitamin synthesized a year since that time. Secondly, at least three of the B vitamins have found their physiological function as prosthetic groups of enzymes in very important enzyme systems. The work on the relation of these vitamins to metabolism has not only aided us in understanding the function of the vitamins, but in many cases it has also helped us to understand the intricacies of metabolism itself.