When an individual exercises the B vitamins in muscle cells are used to convert the bodies fuels into energy. Thus after use of these B vitamins the body needs replenishing. It is important to remember that vitamins are not used as fuels and differ from the fuel the body uses in the following three ways. Vitamins are individual units, they are not linked in long chains such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Vitamins do not give the body energy when broken down.
Vitamins assist enzymes that release energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
The amount of vitamin people ingest daily and the amounts they require are measured in micrograms or milligrams, rather than grams. Vitamins are not used as fuels for the body , but as fuel substrates. The vitamin relationship with exercise involves their role as coenzymes in the oxidative process of cells or in the production and protection of red blood cells. The vitamin and exercise relationship can be viewed from the view point of the nutritionist and the physiologist. Traditionally the nutritionists are interested in the effects of exercise on vitamin requirements.