Course
17

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Overview
Identify deficiency patterns in B-complex and vitamin C pathways, optimising energy production, stress resilience, and methylation.
Format
Online
Units
10
Recommended for
  • Low energy
  • Pre-natal
  • High stress
  • MTHFR
  • Skin health
Water-Soluble Vitamins

The learning framework

1
Why water-soluble vitamin deficiencies are widely overlooked
Water-soluble vitamins, including the B-complex group and vitamin C, are essential for energy production, neurotransmitter synthesis, methylation, detoxification, DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation, immune resilience, and antioxidant defence, yet deficiencies remain widespread due to poor dietary quality, increased metabolic demand, impaired absorption, medication interactions, and genetic variations affecting utilisation.
2
The limitations of generic micronutrient education
Most practitioners learn about water-soluble vitamins as a generic list without understanding their specific biochemical roles, how they interact with each other and minerals, how absorption is affected by stomach acid and gut integrity, or how genetic polymorphisms alter nutrient requirements, leading to missed deficiencies, inappropriate supplementation, and failure to connect micronutrient status to clinical presentations like fatigue, mood disorders, cognitive decline, anaemia, and poor stress resilience.
3
A functional framework for water-soluble vitamin assessment
The Water Soluble Vitamins module trains you to understand the biochemical roles, absorption requirements, interaction patterns, and functional assessment of vitamins B1–B12 and vitamin C, equipping you to identify insufficiencies, connect micronutrient status to energy, cognition, mood, and methylation, and integrate evidence-based interventions through whole-food nutrition and responsible supplementation.

What you'll learn

By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Understand the unique properties of water-soluble vitamins
Recognising that B vitamins and vitamin C are hydrophilic, not stored in significant amounts, excreted in urine when intake exceeds capacity, and generally have low toxicity risk,making deficiency more common than toxicity.
Assess each B vitamin's specific biochemical role
Understanding B1 in glucose metabolism, B2 in energy production, B3 in NAD synthesis, B5 in CoA formation, B6 in neurotransmitter synthesis and hormone metabolism, B7 in fatty acid metabolism, B9 and B12 in methylation and DNA synthesis.
Interpret functional markers for water-soluble vitamins
Using serum B12, methylmalonic acid, homocysteine, red blood cell folate, and clinical presentation to assess status.
Understand methylation and MTHFR genetic variants
Recognising that MTHFR polymorphisms reduce folate activation, impair methylation, elevate homocysteine, and increase requirements for methylfolate.
Assess B12 absorption requirements
Understanding that B12 requires stomach acid, intrinsic factor, and intact ileum, and that absorption is impaired by low stomach acid, pernicious anaemia, metformin, vegan diets, and gut disorders.
Recognise clinical patterns of water-soluble vitamin deficiencies
Identifying fatigue, mood disorders, cognitive decline, elevated homocysteine, anaemia, peripheral neuropathy, poor stress resilience, hormonal imbalances, immune dysfunction, and poor wound healing.
Understand vitamin C's roles in collagen synthesis, antioxidant defence, and immune function
Recognising vitamin C depletion from stress, infection, and toxin exposure, increasing daily requirements significantly.
Assess medication and lifestyle factors that deplete water-soluble vitamins
Understanding that PPIs reduce B12 absorption, metformin depletes B12, oral contraceptives deplete B6, folate, and B12, alcohol depletes B vitamins, and chronic stress increases demand.
Build comprehensive B-complex and vitamin C protocols
Using balanced B-complex supplements containing bioavailable forms rather than isolated high-dose B vitamins, adding standalone B12, folate, or B6 when specific deficiencies are identified.

Why this matters

The ability to resolve fatigue, mood disorders, and cognitive decline
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B-vitamin and vitamin C deficiencies are among the most common yet overlooked drivers of low energy, depression, anxiety, brain fog, and poor stress resilience.
Confidence in methylation support
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Understanding folate, B12, and B6's roles in methylation allows you to address homocysteine elevation and neurotransmitter imbalances with precision.
Better client outcomes
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Optimising water-soluble vitamin status supports energy production, neurotransmitter synthesis, immune function, cardiovascular health, and stress adaptation.
Enhanced assessment of absorption and medication impacts
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Assessing these nutrients provides insight into digestive health and medication side effects.
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B-Complex
Vitamin B12
Folate
Methylfolate
Vitamin C
Micronutrients
Energy Production
Methylation
MTHFR
Homocysteine
Your path to becoming a Certified Practitioner

How to get started

1st Step
Submit your Application
Apply online in just a few minutes. Our team will review your experience, education and goals to ensure this certification aligns with your professional path.
2nd Step
Join the IOH community
Once accepted, you’ll gain instant access to our global network of practitioners, mentors and resources that support your learning from day one.
3rd Step
Begin your first module
Start your studies inside the IOH learning portal — with guided mentorship, live calls, and access to the Oracle AI system that turns knowledge into action.

Expand your knowledge

All Courses
What does an Integrative Nutritional Therapist do?
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An Integrative Nutritional Therapist utilises the latest evidence-based research to create an integrative approach to optimising each client’s health and wellbeing.

They design bio-individual nutrition plans, personalise supplementation where appropriate, and interpret functional laboratory data, including blood work, to gain deeper insights, achieve better accuracy and tailor every intervention to the individual.

How is functional medicine different from conventional medicine?
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Conventional medicine often waits until a disease is clearly present before intervention begins. Treatment is focused on managing or suppressing a diagnosed condition.

Functional medicine looks upstream. It assesses the early drivers of dysfunction and works to prevent disease from developing in the first place, or restore balance in the body. It uses a whole-systems view of the body, then applies personalised, preventative nutrition and lifestyle interventions to support long-term health rather than only reacting once things have gone wrong.

What will be my scope of practice after completing this certification?
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After completing the certification, you will be recognised and insured as a Integrative Nutritional Therapist inclusive of Nutritional Therapy and Functional Blood Work, with a clearly defined scope of practice.

You will be trained and insured to:

  • Design bio-individual nutrition plans
  • Recommend and prescribe over-the-counter supplementation up to safe, optimal intake thresholds
  • Utilise functional blood work from a wellness perspective to guide your reasoning and recommendations
  • Collaborate with and refer to medical professionals when red flags, pathology or out-of-scope conditions are identified

Our scope of practice has been aligned with nutritional therapy standards and externally audited, so you can work with confidence and clarity.

Is your course accredited?
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Yes. Our certifications are accredited by multiple independent professional bodies, including the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT) and the Complementary Medical Association (CMA).

To receive these accreditations, our curriculum undergoes forensic external auditing to ensure every component is up to date, evidence-informed, ethically delivered and aligned with recognised Nutritional Therapy and Functional Health standards. This includes rigorous evaluation of our academic content, assessments, delivery methods and scope of practice frameworks.

This external oversight gives you confidence that the qualification you are investing in is credible, robust and widely recognised within the industry, with clear pathways for insurance, professional membership and global practice.

Will I be able to practise internationally?
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Yes. Our graduates are eligible for insurance through IICT that is recognised across 36 countries, including:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden & United Kingdom.

This allows you to work with clients internationally, including in online practice, provided you respect local regulations and the scope of practice defined by your insurer and professional associations.

Need help?
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