The 9 Best Postnatal Vitamins in 2024

Have you considered having a vitamin deficiency? Have you ever felt tired, irritable and unable to concentrate? This feeling of malaise, not attributable to a specific cause, can become very annoying and interfere with your daily life, your job or your studies. You’re not sick, but you’re probably “missing something”.

Postnatal Vitamins is a complex that regulates many chemical reactions in our body and its deficiency can negatively affect your health. In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about this vitamin, explaining how to be yourself in record time!

Right here are the Best Postnatal Vitamins listed below.

Buying Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Postnatal Vitamins

What Exactly Is Vitamin?

Vitamins are fundamental substances for the homeostasis, that is, vital balance, of the organism. These small molecules cannot be synthesized by the human body but must be taken daily to meet the needs.

At the time of their discovery, B vitamins were thought to be one vitamin. Further research has confirmed the existence of different types of vitamins, then differentiated by a number. The classification has come to have more than twenty molecules.

Nowadays the vitamin complex B includes eight essential nutrients: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folic acid (B9), cobalamin or cyanocobalamin (B12).

What Are the Benefits of Vitamin?

These are essential elements for the chemical reactions that control the metabolism of nutrients, the creation of new cells and the control of nerve impulses.

Although it is possible to consider these eight nutrients individually, the most important functions of these vitamins are the result of their balanced combination. In this list we present the main processes that depend on the complex vitamins:

• Energy production
• Creation of new cells
• Protection of cellular integrity, especially of rapidly replicating cells (skin, hair, and nails)
• Maintaining visual function
• Regulation of digestion
• Appetite control
• Maintenance of normal brain function
• Regulation of nervous function
• Hormone production
• Muscle growth
• Increased fertility
• Protection of the fetus and mother during gestation
• Reduction of the risk of fetal malformations
• Possible increase in testosterone production (in men)

What Are the Consequences of A Vitamin Deficiency?

Since vitamins regulate many chemical reactions in the body, their deficiency will cause a general metabolic imbalance, the severity of which depends on the intensity of hypovitaminosis. Some people are more likely to suffer from a vitamin B deficiency, let’s see which ones:

• Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women: pregnant women have a higher nutritional need to ensure adequate development of the fetus. Practically, a higher amount of folic acid (vitamin B9) is needed to allow the neurological development of the fetus.
• Elderly: people over the age of sixty have been shown to be more susceptible to nutritional deficiencies. The absorption capacity of vitamins by the elderly decreases, thus increasing the probability that they suffer from hypovitaminosis.
• People with Diseases Affecting Intestinal Absorption: Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and HIV infection are diseases that influence nutritional absorption in a more or less serious way, increasing the risk of a deficiency of vitamin B.
• People with Alcoholism Problems: alcohol negatively affects the absorption, accumulation, and activation of B vitamins (in particular B1, B6, and B9). Individuals who consume alcohol frequently are at risk of experiencing a vitamin B deficiency.
• Vegans and Vegetarians: A balanced vegan or vegetarian diet will only provide seven of the eight B complex vitamins. Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in products of animal origin and must, therefore, be taken as a supplement in the case of plant-based diets to avoid deficiencies.
• People with Hectic Lifestyles: Chronic stress has been shown to reduce vitamin B6 levels, increasing the risk of a nutritional deficiency.
• Smokers: lower folic acid and vitamin B12 levels were found in smokers, as a result, this group of people is more likely to suffer from a deficit.

Vitamin B deficiency will initially manifest itself in the form of fatigue and weakness. After that, annoying symptoms such as dry skin on the face, chapped lips, digestive disorders, and constipation will appear. If hypovitaminosis does not heal, the situation will worsen and more serious problems will appear:

• Premature aging (appearance of white hair before the age of 30)
• Red and enlarged tongue
• Diarrhea
• Confusion
• Mood disorders
• Numbness in the toes and hands
• Anemia
• Frequent infections
• Memory loss
• Worsening of vision
• Changes in fetal development (in the case of pregnant women)
• Increased incidence of tumors (especially colon and breast)

How Can a Vitamin Supplement Help Me?

If you are unable to take all the necessary nutrients with your diet, you can meet your nutritional needs by helping yourself with a supplement that contains the eight B vitamins. Vitamin B supplements offer numerous benefits, in particular to the following categories:

• People Who Want to Age Healthily: the effects of vitamins B6, B9, and B12 on the prevention of cognitive impairment of the elderly are under study. Furthermore, adequate levels of vitamin B appear to be able to reduce the probability of cardiovascular events in the elderly.
• People Who Want to Improve the Appearance of The Skin, Nails, and Hair: Some experts claim that the consumption of B vitamins is more effective than cosmetics when you want to improve the appearance of the skin, reduce the fragility of the nails and promote growth hair.
• Stressed Workers: Some studies show that people who use vitamin B supplements better cope with chronic stress from work.
• Students: adequate levels of B complex vitamins could alleviate students’ stress (especially during exam time), avoiding mental fatigue and keeping cognitive skills at normal levels.
• Sportsmen: B vitamins are essential for energy metabolism and muscle growth. A supplement containing vitamins B6, B9 and B12 can improve the sports performance of fitness enthusiasts.
• People Who Follow Weight-Loss Diets: Many times, weight loss diets reduce calorie intake considerably. Taking a vitamin B supplement assures us of adequate consumption of these nutrients, which are essential for keeping the metabolism active.
• Vegetarian Vegans: Vegans (and to a lesser extent, vegetarians) will need to add a vitamin B12 supplement to their diet to avoid hypovitaminosis. Most vitamin B supplements contain cobalamin, which makes them effective supplements for those on a vegan diet.
• People Who Want to Combat the Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Tobacco: quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption will improve your health significantly. A vitamin B supplement will help reduce the oxidative effects of years of addiction to tobacco and alcohol.
• People Suffering from Nervous Breakdown, Apathy or Irritability: Although these vitamins cannot replace medicines for psychic conditions, it has been shown that in some people, vitamin B complex can alleviate the feeling of mental fatigue and improve mood.

Without a doubt, the vitamins will help you achieve a general state of well-being. You can use this food supplement sporadically, to cope with stressful periods such as an exam or work projects, or you can take it for long periods of time to improve your physical appearance and mitigate the effects of aging.

How Many Types of Vitamin Supplements Are There?

Most of the vitamin supplements on the market contain the eight most important vitamins in the complex. However, there are specific products for the needs of certain groups of people. Below are the most common types of vitamin B supplements on the market:

• Vitamin for Women Over 40: these vitamin complexes contain high quantities of folic acid and biotin, which help middle-aged women to maintain the well-being of the skin, hair, and nails.
• Vitamin for Athletes: these supplements provide 100% of the Recommended Daily Dose (RDA in English) of vitamin B6, together with other molecules of this complex. In addition, these products may contain other compounds that promote athletic performance, such as magnesium or L-carnitine.
• Vitamin for The Maintenance of Intellectual Function: these products contain a mix of vitamins B6, B9, and B12, combined to make up for nutritional deficiencies due to periods that require additional effort (tests, projects, competitions or prolonged shifts).
• Vitamin for Vegans and Vegetarians: these supplements provide the Recommended Daily Dose (RDA in English) of vitamin B12 avoiding the deficiency of this vitamin and the consequent effects for those who follow diets of vegetable origin (mainly anemia, nervous disorders, fatigue, and intestinal changes ).
• Vitamin for Weight Loss: Normally these preparations provide 100% of the Recommended Daily Dose (RDA in English) of all the B complex vitamins. These supplements help maintain metabolic balance, control appetite and at the same time avoid the appearance of nutritional deficiencies.

People who start taking a vitamin supplement can choose a “standard” product that offers all the essential nutrients of complex B. By doing so, it will be possible to take advantage of all the beneficial effects of vitamin B (sports, intellectual, aesthetic or immune).

How Are Vitamin Supplements Used?

Fortunately, vitamin supplements are among the easiest and most comfortable to use. You simply need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make the most of this nutritional supplement. I

f you still have some doubt, refer to the following paragraphs, in which we answer the most frequently asked questions on the topic:

1. In what dose? It is recommended to choose a supplement that provides 100% of the Recommended Daily Dose of all eight of the most important vitamins of group B. Normally, it is a single dose of supplements that will be taken once a day.
2. At what time? The absorption of this supplement does not depend on the time it is taken. Nonetheless, some nutrition experts advise in the morning to benefit from the increase in energy due to the effect of some of these vitamins.
3. On an empty or full stomach? B vitamins are water-soluble molecules (which dissolve in water). Consequently, their diffusion capacity is high, and they can be taken indiscriminately, on an empty stomach or accompanied by food.
4. How do I store my supplement? Normally it is sufficient to keep the product in a cool and dry place, in the closed container avoiding exposure to sunlight. Some more particular products (such as liquid vitamin B) may require refrigeration.

Purchase Criteria

In this section, you will learn to distinguish quality vitamin supplements from less recommendable products, based on their characteristics. These nutritional complements are among the best sellers and it is important to know how to choose the product that best suits your needs.

1. Interactions with other medicines
2. Allergens
3. Vegan or vegetarian nutrition
4. Methylation
5. Method of administration
6. Value for money

Interaction with Other Medicines

Vitamin supplements do not interact with the most common medicines (over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, contraceptives, blood pressure control medicines and anti-diabetic medicines). However, taking these products has caused problems for people being treated with anti-epileptic drugs.

For this, we recommend that you contact your doctor before starting vitamin B supplementation, in case you suffer from epilepsy or any nerve conduction disorder. Remember that no nutritional supplement can replace an adequate and personalized medical treatment according to the patient’s needs.

Allergens

Vitamin supplements can contain products that cause intolerances, for example, gluten, lactose, soy or additives such as magnesium stearate. The absence of allergens, in the case of good quality products, is declared on the container.

If there are no references to the most common allergens, the supplement is very likely to contain these substances.

Vegan or Vegetarian Nutrition

If you are vegan or vegetarian, you should take a vitamin B supplement that guarantees, at the very least, 100% intake of the Recommended Daily Dose of vitamin B12.

Also, be sure to choose a product that is free of animal-based ingredients. For example, vitamin B capsules must be prepared with cellulose instead of gelatin.

Methylation

Many vitamins must be activated by the body (a process known as methylation) before it can exert the desired effects on cellular metabolism.

However, for a part of the population (up to 30%), it may be impossible or simply more difficult to complete the methylation process of the B complex vitamins.

We, therefore, recommend choosing a supplement that contains vitamins in their activated (methylated) form and ready for use by the body. Methylated compounds are present in the ingredients of supplements with the prefix “methyl”, such as methyltetrahydrofolate (the active form of folic acid or vitamin B9).

Method of Administration

There are several forms of vitamin B, which allow you to take the supplement in the most suitable way for you. The effect and absorption of nutrients don’t change in most cases, so this decision depends on your preferences:

• Tablets: hard tablets or capsules are the simplest forms of supplementation. They are easy to store, but swallowing the tablet can be difficult for some people.
• Soft capsules: these capsules contain liquid inside. The consistency is much more pleasant. Vegan consumers should make sure that the capsule cover does not contain gelatin.
• Oral spray: it is the preferred form of many people, as it allows the integration in a few seconds. Some formulations can pulverize over food, making it even easier to consume these supplements.
• In drops of liquid: also, in this case, the integration is fast, easy and practical. These complements may have a slightly higher price and may require refrigeration.
• Powder: it is the formulation preferred by athletes, who can add the supplement to increase the nutritional content of their favorite drinks or smoothies.
• Gummy candies: this formulation is very popular among the most famous influencers. The possibility of taking vitamins daily in the form of sweets makes integration more pleasant. The main problem? The high price of these products!

Value for Money

Some people assume that the positive effects of vitamin b supplementation are noticeable from the first few days. However, most vitamin studies require a minimum of three months of supplementation before effects on nutrient status can be assessed.

For this reason, we advise you to purchase a product that contains sufficient quantities for a minimum integration of two or three months. Consider that these supplements expire, losing effectiveness after some time. Don’t forget the expiration date!