B group vitamins: Current uses and perspectives

Abstract

This book contains eight chapters dealing with different aspects of B-group vitamins including their roles, uses, and perspectives. Authors from seven different countries (Argentina, India, Japan, Malaysia, Serbia, Turkey and the USA) have written original chapters relevant to these important micronutrients. This multitopic book is divided into three sections: Folate, Thiamin, and Other B-Vitamins. In the first section, there is discussion on the use of novel methods such as FTIR to detect folate (vitamin B9) in pregnant women, the use and role of folate in dentistry and the use of genotype notification, such as methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms C677T, to urge patients to increase their intake of foods rich in folates such as green-yellow vegetables with promising original data from the Sakado Folate Project. The second section involves the description of thiamin (vitamin B1) metabolism in Archaea and the role that this vitamin plays in plants and the current perspectives on crop improvement. The third section involves a description of riboflavin (vitamin B2) and innovations in improving blood safety and the role niacin (vitamin B3) plays in metabolic stress and insulin resistance in dairy cows.