The Importance of Vitamin B12

When you are learning about the vitamins your body needs to survive, you may notice that there are a number of vitamins listed. Each is important in specific ways. Vitamin B12 is just an additional part of the vitamin B complex, and without it, our metabolism would be affected. Vitamin B12 is also important in helping to form red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body, and in maintaining the nervous systems, which send messages to and from the brain to tell us that things are hot, painful, itchy, moving, and so forth.

Vitamins fall into two general categories. The first are called fat-soluble vitamins and include vitamins E and K, among others. These vitamins can be stored in the body and, in some cases, produced by the body, so deficiency is very rare. However, vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. While it can be stored, in some cases, it cannot be used properly. Therefore, eating foods rich in Vitamin B12 or taking supplements every day is very important for our bodies. If we do not ingest enough, our bodies cannot function properly. If you believe that you are not getting enough vitamin B12, you should talk to a doctor. He or she can help you find the right vitamin supplements to take so you will not have a problem.

Of course, your diet is ALWAYS the best way to get vitamin B12 into your body. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet, you shouldn’t have to worry about not having normal levels of vitamin B12 in the body. However, if you have special dietary needs or medical conditions, vitamin supplements may be needed. You can find fairly high levels of vitamin B12 in eggs, poultry, beef, pork, shellfish, and dairy products; especially milk. Or if you know you don’t always eat healthy, you can take the efficient and no hassle way and daily ingest a supplement (do you know which “gel” supplement product delivers an easy to take dosage of 100% of your daily recommended vitamins in a great tasting nutritional packet?) that meets your daily recommended requirement for vitamins.

Because vitamin B12 is one of the few vitamins that can be stored in the body, extreme deficiency is very rare. However, if your body cannot use vitamin B12 properly or absorb it from foods in the intestinal tract, you may need vitamin supplements to help your body. Vegans are especially prone to this and should take vitamin supplements, since most of the vitamin B12 we get in our diets is found in meat. If you don’t get enough vitamin B12, you develop a condition known as pernicious anemia. Symptoms include numbness and tingling in your arms and legs, weakness, loss of balance, and other neurological symptoms. If you are worried about developing pernicious anemia, you should talk to your doctor about beginning to take vitamin B12 supplements today.