Vitamin B8 Food Sources to Increase Inositol Levels

There are numerous vitamin B8 food sources that can help to make more of this vital substance bioavailable.

Vitamin B8 is commonly called inositol and is actually controversial as a “vitamin”. By definition, vitamins are organic compounds that are necessary for our survival, yet cannot be synthesized by our bodies.

That is not the case with inositol as the human body is capable of manufacturing it. This happens mainly in the kidneys and about 2 grams each day are produced.

Vitamin B8 is also found in animals, plants and algae all through the natural world.

Modern research continues to show the many vital roles of inositol, from providing structure to eukaryotic cells to ensuring proper signaling from all major neurotransmitters to breaking down harmful cholesterol to treating mental illnesses to growing back lost hair and even helping to lose excess weight.

Inositol is one of the most important substances in nature. While Vitamin B8 supplements can be purchased as a single ingredient or in B-Complex formulas, making some changes to your diet and adding the right foods can also help you get more of this nutrient.

Inositol

Nutrient Supplement

Brain Health

Mood

Weight Loss

How It Works:

• Supports brain & liver health
• Involved in mood regulation & nerve signalling
• Improves insulin sensitivity for PCOS, fertility & weight loss

Dosage:

Between 500 mg - 18 g per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

Top Inositol Products* ❯

View User Ratings* ❯

Why You Need Vitamin B8

Inositol deficiencies are not common, but some conditions are linked to lower levels of this nutrient.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder and depression has been found to correlate with low levels of inositol in their spinal fluid.

Taking large dosages of up to 18 gram a day has been found effective for relieving symptoms and causes fewer side effects than anti-anxiety drugs.

When there are deficiencies noted, they are normally a result of an inability to absorb this nutrient; not an issue with a lacking supply. Given that humans have the ability to synthesize vitamin B8, and that it readily available throughout nature, depleted levels are not often reported or discovered.

However, there are some known factors that can cause inositol levels to drop. These include smoking tobacco products, taking sulfa drugs, drinking too much caffeine and imbibing too much alcohol. Millions of people talk with their doctors every year about using inositol supplements as well, especially those affected by those depleting factors.

Foods that contain vitamin B8 are fairly numerous, although no one food source contains hugely significant amounts. Conversely, there are numerous food sources that contain small amounts. Most of us end up consuming about a gram every day in the foods we choose to eat.

What is made in the kidneys via glucose, supplements the dietary amount to give us what we need for our physical and mental functioning. Inositol is water-soluble, meaning it does not store in fat cells; making excess amounts able to be easily removed via urination.

List of Vitamin B8 Foods

Organ meats like hearts, livers and brains have the most concentrated sources of inositol currently known.

Of course, eating these comes with some drawbacks, especially if the meat sources are not grass-fed and chemical free. In an animal that is raised with high amounts of steroids, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides and other toxic chemicals, it is not desirable to ingest their organs.

For this reason, it is always best to choose free-range, grass-fed, no-chemical meat sources. Fish, poultry and other meats are also rich in vitamin B8.

Eggs are an excellent source of vitamin B8, as well as choline which works in conjunction with inositol. However, there is an enzyme in the whites of eggs that negates some of the inositol content. The effect means that there is less of this nutrient available than there would be otherwise, but eggs are still an excellent inositol source.

Nuts and seeds and good sources too. They also contain good amounts of healthy fats which are indispensable to the body.

Green leafy vegetables are some of the world’s healthiest foods, and they are loaded well with the entire B complex of vitamins, including rich supplies of inositol. Additionally, green leafy vegetables are full of other vitamins, minerals, and perhaps most importantly, phytonutrients including several antioxidants.

Antioxidants are molecules that travel throughout the circulatory system neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are known to be responsible for wrecking cellular structures and causing disease and aging in general.

Green leafy vegetables are being heavily researched for their capacities to prevent all major diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity and many more.

Various potassium-rich fruits, including bananas, are excellent sources of vitamin B8 as well. Beans, legumes and sprouts are also health sources.

Natural whole grains contain high amounts of vitamin B8, but you need to make sure they are whole. Most of the inositol in grains is found in the shells. If you buy processed grains instead of unrefined grains, then you will lose most of the inositol supply.

Soy lecithin is another excellent source of both choline and inositol.

Final Notes about Vitamin B8 Intake

Increasing your intake of vitamin B8 foods is a safe way to get more of this nutrient in your diet. Because inositol is such a prevalent naturally-occurring substance, humans are very adapted to it. If you end up with too much in your system, it will simply be expelled via urination with no negative side.

However, as with all health decisions, you should speak with your doctor before increasing vitamin B8 consumption, or beginning a supplementation program.

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