Vitamin B12 may be a nutrient that helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material altogether cells. vitamin B12 also helps prevent a kind of anemia called megaloblastic anaemia that creates people tired and weak.
Two steps are required for the body to soak up vitamin B12 from food. First, acid within the stomach separates vitamin B12 from the protein to which vitamin B12 is attached in food. After this, vitamin B12 combines with a protein made by the stomach called factor and is absorbed by the body. Some people have pernicious anaemia , a condition during which they can’t make factor . As a result, they need trouble absorbing vitamin B12 from all foods and dietary supplements.
What foods provide vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is found naturally during a big variety of animal foods and is added to some fortified foods. Plant foods haven’t any vitamin B12 unless they’re fortified. you’ll get recommended amounts of vitamin B12 by eating a spread of foods including the following:
- Beef liver and clams, which are the simplest sources of vitamin B12 .
- Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and other dairy products, which also contain vitamin B12 .
- Some breakfast cereals, nutritional yeasts and other food products that are fortified with vitamin B12 . to seek out out if vitamin B12 has been added to a foodstuff , check the merchandise labels.
What sorts of vitamin B12 dietary supplements are available?
Vitamin B12 is found in most multivitamins. Dietary supplements that contain only vitamin B12 , or vitamin B12 with nutrients like vitamin Bc and other B vitamins, also are available. Check the Vitamin B supplements Facts label to work out the quantity of vitamin B12 provided.
Vitamin B12 is additionally available in sublingual forms (which are dissolved under the tongue). there’s no evidence that sublingual forms are better absorbed than pills that are swallowed.
A prescription sort of vitamin B12 are often administered as an attempt . this is often usually wont to treat vitamin B12 deficiency. vitamin B12 is additionally available as a prescription medication during a nasal gel form that’s sprayed into the nose.
What happens if I don’t get enough vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 deficiency causes tiredness, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, and megaloblastic anaemia . Nerve problems, like numbness and tingling within the hands and feet, also can occur. Other symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include problems with balance, depression, confusion, dementia, poor memory, and soreness of the mouth or tongue. vitamin B12 deficiency can damage the systema nervosum even in people that don’t have anemia, so it’s important to treat a deficiency as soon as possible.
In infants, signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency include failure to thrive, problems with movement, delays in reaching the standard developmental milestones, and megaloblastic anaemia .
Large amounts of vitamin Bc can hide a vitamin B12 deficiency by correcting megaloblastic anaemia , an indicator of vitamin B12 deficiency. But vitamin Bc doesn’t correct the progressive damage to the systema nervosum that vitamin B12 deficiency also causes. For this reason, healthy adults shouldn’t get quite 1,000 mcg of vitamin Bc each day .
What are some effects of vitamin B12 on health?
Scientists are studying vitamin B12 to know how it affects health. Here are several samples of what this research has shown:
Heart disease
Vitamin B12 supplements (along with vitamin Bc and vitamin B6) don’t reduce the danger of getting disorder . Scientists had thought that these vitamins could be helpful because they reduce blood levels of homocysteine, a compound linked to an increased risk of getting a attack or stroke.
Dementia
As they grow old , some people develop dementia. These people often have high levels of homocysteine within the blood. vitamin B12 (with vitamin Bc and vitamin B6) can lower homocysteine levels, but scientists don’t know yet whether these vitamins actually help prevent or treat dementia.
Energy and athletic performance
Advertisements often promote vitamin B12 supplements as how to extend energy or endurance. Except in people with a vitamin B12 deficiency, no evidence shows that vitamin b complex gummies increase energy or improve athletic performance.
Can vitamin B12 be harmful?
Vitamin B12 has not been shown to cause any harm.
Disclaimer
This fact sheet by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) provides information that ought to not take the place of medical advice. We encourage you to speak to your healthcare providers (doctor, registered dietitian, pharmacist, etc.) about your interest in, questions on , or use of dietary supplements and what could also be best for your overall health. Any mention during this publication of a selected product or service, or recommendation from a corporation or professional society, doesn’t represent an endorsement by ODS of that product, service, or expert advice.
