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The 5 Best Vitamins for Energy
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- Best Overall: Garden of Life Vitamin Code RAW B-Complex
- Best Liquid B-12 for Energy: Bricker Labs B-12 Blast Methylcobalamin
- Best Magnesium Supplement: Solaray Magnesium Glycinate 350mg
- Best Iron Supplement for Energy: Ancient Nutrition Iron
- Best Vitamin C: California Natural Lyposomal Vitamin C Formula
- Vitamins for Energy FAQ
- Key Takeaways
B vitamins may hog the spotlight when it comes to the best vitamins for energy, but the supporting cast (including some minerals) is more involved than you may think.
Vitamin C, magnesium, and iron—each with their unique mechanisms—are more than a little important when it comes to keeping energy production up at the cellular level and beyond.
As such, our list of the 5 best vitamins and minerals for energy sheds light on all four of these essential nutrients while keeping overall formulation quality, absorbability, etc. top of mind as always.
In this article, we’ll show you which nutrients to prioritize for an energy boost, which products provide these nutrients in their most effective forms and combinations, and more.
Our Insider Picks
- Best Overall: Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw B-Complex
- Best Iron Supplement for Energy: Ancient Nutrition Iron
- Best Liquid B-12 for Energy: Bricker Labs B-12 Blast Methylcobalamin
- Best Magnesium Supplement: Solaray Magnesium Glycinate 350mg
- Best Vitamin C: California Natural Lyposomal Vitamin C Formula
Best for: Anyone who needs the most gut-friendly vitamin B complex possible; those who prefer a nutritionally well-rounded, whole-food-based supplement.
Garden of Life Vitamin Code tops yet another one our “best of” lists with their Raw B-Complex, a highly potent blend of all 8 B vitamins, 23 organic fruits and vegetables, and about a dozen probiotics and enzymes.
The B vitamins are all sourced from S. cerevisiae, or brewer’s yeast, which adds protective benefits for the benevolent bacteria in your gut while preventing diarrheal infections, per this University of Sialkot (Pakistan) study.
Garden of Life keeps the gut-friendly theme going with the Raw Probiotic (500 Million CFU) & Enzyme Blend, which aids digestion, immunity, and even mental health—that 100-trillion-strong colony of bacteria in the gut can work wonders if you treat it well.
Finally, the 23-ingredient fruit and vegetable blend provides a slew of plant-based antioxidants, metabolism-boosters, and other compounds that collectively provide a huge range of potential benefits.
We recommend Garden of Life Vitamin Code RAW B-Complex to anyone looking for an energy supplement that goes way above the norm with the supporting ingredients.
Best for: People who want a straightforward supplement that supports energy (via B vitamins) with high folic acid (B9) content for improved heart benefits.
Here’s the short answer on why we chose Bricker Labs B-12 Blast Methylcobalamin for our list of the best vitamins for energy: it’s potent, clean, and highly absorbable, thanks to sublingual delivery.
The slightly longer answer involves the role of folic acid—B-12 Blast contains 400mg of folic acid per serving (and 1,000mcg of B-12)—in supporting cardiovascular health.
Keeping the biochemistry as general as possible, folic acid is the most important nutrient we consume when it comes to keeping the amino acid homocysteine at optimal levels within the body.
Because folic acid helps break homocysteine down into different chemical compounds, a deficiency in folic acid will cause a surplus of homocysteine, which in turn can significantly increase your risk for a heart attack or stroke.
This academic article from the New England Journal of Medicine explains the relationship between folic acid and homocysteine in much greater depth.
And if you’re wondering why we’re talking about heart health in an article about the best vitamins for energy, ask someone with cardiovascular disease what their doc thinks about them downing standard energy drinks. Yikes.
Even if you’re not dealing with any cardiovascular health issues, Bricker Labs B-12 Blast Methylcobalamin offers a simple, strong shot of energy-boosting B vitamins.
Best for: Anyone looking for a high-value magnesium supplement with superior absorption capabilities.
Solaray Magnesium Glycinate models the key differences between an absorption-optimized supplement and the vast majority that simply list “x milligrams of ingredient y” and move on.
In this case, those differences include Solaray’s use of the amino acid glycine (as in, magnesium glycinate) as well as the addition of BioPerine, a black pepper extract.
While the absorption percentage of magnesium disglycinate only beat magnesium oxide in this University of Chicago study by a small margin (about 0.7%), the researchers noted that this difference was substantially increased among those who showed the greatest impairment of magnesium absorption (magnesium disglycinate outperformed magnesium oxide 23.5% to 11.8%).
And in all cases, the glycinated form was tolerated better.
Compounding this effect considerably is the black pepper extract.
Piperine—an active component of black pepper—has been shown by this University of Valladolid (Soria, Spain) study to prime the cells lining the small intestine for improved nutrient uptake.
Overall, Solaray Magnesium Glycinate is one of our top picks for energy—and our very top pick for magnesium—for its practical, clean formulation.
Best for: Anyone looking for a multi-fronted and nutritionally dense approach to increasing iron/energy levels, managing stress, and more.
Hitting three of the major energy-boosting nutrients—B vitamins, C vitamins, and iron—is enough to enter the upper tier of iron supplements, but Ancient Nutrition Iron goes a couple of steps beyond with a broad collection of herbal ingredients.
They call it the Ancient Nutrients TCM (Traditional Chinese Method) Blend, which contains the following ingredients:
Bovine Liver, Beef Bone Broth, Chicken Bone Broth, Organic Chinese Peony Root Extract, Organic Bai-Zhu Atractylodes Root Extract, Organic Codonopsis Root Extract, Organic Astragalus Root Extract, Organic Reishi Mushroom Extract, Wild Hake Roe.
Together, these herbal extracts and other naturally sourced ingredients contribute ample amounts of collagen, immune-boosting compounds (check out codonopsis root), stress-regulating adaptogens, and much more.
The vitamin C enhances absorption of the iron, the B vitamins boost metabolism, and the herbal blend adds an entirely new set of benefits—Ancient Nutrition Iron gets our vote for the best iron supplement for energy.
Best for: Anyone who wants a highly absorbable vitamin C supplement for energy, collagen uptake, immunity, and more.
Little preamble is needed for one of the most successfully marketed vitamins in the world—especially when it comes to immunity—but did you know that vitamin C can provide an energy bump by keeping the mitochondria (cellular engine of sorts) healthy?
Along that vein, vitamin C also transports fatty acids, which in turn help to produce energy (ATP) at the cellular level and beyond.
Speaking of fat, the reason we are calling attention to California Natural Lyposomal Vitamin C Formula is in the name—liposomes.
A liposome is a microscopic fat bubble that mimics our own cells to a limited degree (both liposomes and regular cells have phospholipid bilayer, it’s a thing).
By using vitamin C prepared in liposomal form, as many drugs are also prepared, California Natural Lyposomal Vitamin C enhances the body’s ability to transport the key nutrient to places it would otherwise not be able to reach—here’s an interesting review on all things liposomal delivery.
Even when non-liposomal competitors jack up the concentration of vitamin C to account for the dip in absorption, they still can’t deliver the nutrient to the tissues and structures that liposomal vitamin C can.
Aside from the proprietary vitamin C complex, California Naturals Lyposomal Vitamin C Formula simply contains one other ingredient (vegetable cellulose).
Supporting ingredients (herbal immunity boosters?) would make this a more complete formulation, but if it’s vitamin C you’re after, this supplement gets our vote.
Vitamins for Energy FAQ
What is the best vitamin for energy?
This answer will vary based on a number of personal factors, including your dieting patterns and/or any iron deficiencies (or B12, etc.), medical history, and much more.
However, vitamin B12 and the rest of the B vitamin family are generally considered to be the best vitamin(s) for energy, as they are instrumental in converting carbs into usable fuel for your body.
This is why we put Garden of Life Vitamin Code RAW B-Complex at the top of our list.
What vitamins can I take for fatigue?
We highlight B vitamins, magnesium, iron, and vitamin C in this article as reliable nutrients that can boost your energy, but there are several other ingredients you can use—especially if you branch out into herbal options and other nutrients.
For example, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, ashwagandha, and melatonin all have energy-boosting potential as well.
Does B12 give you energy right away?
The body stores excess B12, so even if your intake dips down for a while, you may not be deficient, which means even a high-dose B12 supplement will likely not address your fatigue effectively.
However, if you do have a B12 deficiency (especially with associated anemia), B12 can stimulate red blood cell production, helping with energy.
This process may take at least 2-3 weeks, according to this NHS fact sheet on B12.
What vitamin deficiency causes fatigue?
B, C, and D vitamins can all cause fatigue when the body is deficient. If you include other nutrients in this equation, iron and magnesium are common culprits as well.
What do I eat for tiredness?
Aside from supplementation with the above nutrients, eating a balanced diet rich in plant sources, lean meat (red meat for b12), nuts/seeds, fruit, vegetables, and more will provide plenty of iron, magnesium, B/C/D vitamins, and everything else you need to combat fatigue.
As always, environmental and other personal factors may still affect energy levels, but a well-balanced diet is one key defense against fatigue.
Key Takeaways
Before reaching for the sugary, over-caffeinated energy product, consider that your fatigue may be caused by a lack of key nutrients like vitamin B, C, magnesium, iron, and/or others.
That said, caffeine is not the boogeyman when included alongside high-quality ingredients.
When browsing for the best vitamins for energy, look for keywords and phrases like sublingual or liposomal, which signal a greater bioavailability (absorption capacity) of the product.
Depending on the cause of the fatigue and your level of deficiency, dietary supplements can take weeks or even longer to start noticeably improving fatigue.
Make sure your supplement comes from a reputable brand that follows industry-leading standards of sourcing, manufacturing, and testing.
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