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Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin) help the body produce energy and affect enzymes that influence the muscles, nerves, and heart. Vitamin B3 (niacin) has a role in energy production in cells and helps keep the skin, nervous system, and digestive system healthy. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) influences normal growth and development. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) helps the body break down protein and helps maintain the health of red blood cells, the nervous system, and parts of the immune system. Vitamin B7 (biotin) helps break down protein and carbohydrates and helps the body make hormones. Vitamin B9 (folic acid) helps the cells in the body make and maintain DNA and is important in the production of red blood cells. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) plays a role in the body's growth and development. It also has a part in producing blood cells, nervous system function, and how the body uses folic acid and carbohydrates.

Deficiency of certain B vitamins can cause anemia, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, depression, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, muscle cramps, respiratory infections, hair loss, eczema, poor growth in children, and birth defects. Some alternative medical practitioners claim that deficiencies in B vitamins weaken the immune system and make the body vulnerable to cancer. They recommend high doses of B vitamins as treatments for people with cancer. Many researchers are studying the relationships between vitamin intake and risk of developing certain cancers.
Ejection fraction = to evaluate the the inotropic status of the heart Ejection Fraction (EF) is the fraction of blood ejected by the ventricle relative to its end-diastolic volume.

EF = (SV / EDV) 100 where SV = stroke volume, EDV = end-diastolic volume The ejection fraction (EF) is an important measurement in determining how well your heart is pumping out blood and in diagnosing and tracking heart failure. What it is? A measurement of how much blood the left ventricle pumps out with each contraction. What it means. An ejection fraction of 60 percent means that 60 percent of the total amount of blood in the left ventricle is pushed out with each heartbeat. What's normal?
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A normal heart's ejection fraction may be between 55 and 70.

You can have a normal ejection fraction reading and still have heart failure. If the heart muscle has become so thick and stiff that the ventricle holds a smaller-than-usual volume of blood, it might still seem to pump out a normal percentage of the blood that enters it. In reality, though, the total amount of blood pumped isn't enough to meet your body's needs.

What's too low?

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A measurement under 40 may be evidence of heart failure or cardiomyopathy. An EF between 40 and 55 indicates damage, perhaps from a previous heart attack, but it may not indicate heart failure. In severe cases, EF can be very low.

What's too high? EF higher than 75 percent could indicate a heart condition like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Tests for measuring EF:
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Echocardiogram MUGA scan CAT scan Cardiac catheterization Nuclear stress test