b12 blog
What Is Vitamin B12? Because your body doesn’t make vitamin B12, you have to get it from animal products like milk, eggs, and meat, or from supplements. Because it keeps your nerves and blood cells healthy, B12 is important. Because the vitamin dissolves in water, your body eliminates any excess via urination. Although B12 can be stored in your liver for up to five years, insufficient intake can result in deficiency (lacking). Since vitamin B12 contains the mineral cobalt, it’s sometimes known as cobalamin. A blood test can find out whether your B12 levels are normal. (Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images) The advantages of B12 Vitamin B12 does a lot of important things for your body. DNA and red blood cells, for instance, are made by it. Your body also needs B12 for the development of your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord). Additionally, it helps maintain healthy skin, nails, and hair. Health of the bones and red blood cells B12 is necessary for the production of healthy platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells. About one percent of your oldest red blood cells are replaced each day. New red blood cells need vitamin B12 and folate (vitamin B9) to grow and develop. The immature red blood cells die because making DNA is difficult if you lack these vitamins. Anemia results as a result. Several studies have linked B vitamins, including B12, to a lower risk of osteoporosis (a disease that weakens your bones) and hip fractures. However, there is no evidence to suggest that taking B supplements would stop these bone issues. Vitamin B12 for vision Optic neuropathy is a rare condition caused by a lack of vitamin B12. This indicates that there is damage to the optic nerve, which is the nerve that conveys visual information to the brain from the eye. This can cause a gradual loss of vision and result in blind spots. Those with B12 deficiency only account for less than one percent of cases of optic neuropathy. a happier mood and better memory Although several studies show a link between depression and low B12 levels, there’s no evidence that increasing the levels of B12 can help ease depression symptoms. However, in order to delay or prevent the onset of depression, screening individuals for B12 deficiency in advance and administering B12 supplements may be beneficial. More research is needed to confirm this. Related: Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight Cognitive issues (problems with thinking, judgment, and learning) and memory issues are linked to vitamin B12 deficiency. As a result, it may be associated with stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. According to one study, most people’s cognitive symptoms improved when they received B12 supplements for mild cognitive issues and low B12 levels. However, other studies have not found a connection between low B12 levels and cognitive issues or a reduction in these symptoms following B12 supplementation. There is a need for more research in this area. Better energy levels You may see energy drinks with labels boasting that they’ve lots of vitamin B12 in their products. Certain vitamins, including B12, can affect people who have fatigue and a lack of energy. According to studies, bringing your B12 levels back to normal may give you more energy if you experience constant fatigue and have low levels. However, people with normal levels of B12 appear to be unaffected by supplements. In other words, if you’re tired and already have normal levels of B12 in your body, drinking that energy drink probably won’t make you feel any better. Vitamin B12 for the skin, nails, and hair If you have a very low level of B12, you may be prone to hyperpigmentation (dark spots) on your skin, vitiligo (light patches on your skin), mouth ulcers, eczema, and acne. However, excessive B12 intake can also cause vitiligo, mouth ulcers, eczema, and acne. B12 deficiency is associated with hair loss, but there’s not enough evidence to show that taking B12 supplements will help hair grow back. If you have too little B12 in your body, your nails might turn brown-gray or bluish. This should change when you bring your B12 levels to normal. There are no studies showing that taking B12 if your levels are normal will help your nails grow stronger or longer. How to Get Vitamin B12 Making sure you get the right amount of vitamin B12 depends on things such as your age, eating habits, health conditions, and the medications you take. Related: How to Reduce Your Day’s Calories Dosage of vitamin B12 The microgram-based averages for the recommended daily intake vary by age: 0.4 micrograms for infants under 6 months 0.5 micrograms for infants aged 7 to 12 months 0.9 micrograms for children aged 1-3 years Kids aged 4-8 years: 1.2 micrograms Children aged 9-13 years: 1.8 micrograms Teens aged 14-18 years: 2.4 micrograms Adults (19+ years): 2.4 micrograms 2.6 micrograms when pregnant Breastfeeding: 2.8 micrograms Foods rich in vitamin B12 You can get vitamin B12 from animal products, which have it naturally, or from foods that have been fortified with it. These are some: Meat Fish Poultry Milk Eggs Fortified breakfast cereals Fortified breads Fortified nutritional yeasts Fortified plant milks If you follow a vegan diet (meaning you don’t eat any animal products, including meat, milk, cheese, and eggs) or you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t eat enough eggs or dairy products, you could be lacking in vitamin B12. You can satisfy this requirement by consuming foods with added nutrients or by taking supplements. Vitamin B12 injections Your doctor may offer vitamin B12 injections if you’re very anemic. You’ll usually take them every day for two weeks until your symptoms start improving. After that, you might be able to use B12 supplements. You might need injections every two or three months for the rest of your life if your B12 deficiency is caused by an autoimmune disease or something else that has nothing to do with your diet. The injections are usually given in your upper arm
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