Vitamin B12 Benefits And Common Vitamin B12 Foods

Vitamin B12 is one of the essential vitamins which you need to intake daily if you are going to maintain optimal health. It is actually a microorganism- a bacteria- and small amounts of it are produced by your body, however these would never be considered a sufficient amount for daily intake.

Vitamin b12 is water soluble, so you shouldn't be very concerned about getting too much of it, as with some other vitamins like Vitamins A and E, but rather getting enough of it.

Many people know that B vitamins are good for you, but don't know the proper amounts to take, or the exact benefits of Vitamin B12.

In truth, Vitamin B12 benefits are myriad and can help with many things.

Many years ago, Vitamin B12 was discovered to cure a type of anemia, and since then it has been given to many patients with this disease.

Vitamin b12 also plays a critical role in the development of red blood cells, and so it is easy to see why someone with anemia might need more of this vitamin, because their production of red blood cells could be impaired.

And as I said above, small amount of vitamin b12 is also produced in your intestines, however not nearly enough to reap all of the Vitamin b12 benefits which you can receive by taking this vitamin in directly from food. As we'll see many vitamin b12 "benefits" are really necessities if you want to live a long and healthy life, and because the vitamin is present in many meat and milk products, vegetarians have a harder time getting enough Vitamin b12 and may need to consider taking supplements of this drug in order to get enough of it.

Lets take a look at some Vitamin B12 benefits for various parts of your body.

Your nervous system is one of the parts of your body which is most greatly benefited by proper amounts of Vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 helps to metabolize fatty acids, which in turn are used to repair the nervous system. And by "repair" I don't simply mean when you get overt nerve trauma or nerve damage.

No, i'm talking about repairing the daily wear and tear on your nerves, the same way that you need a steady supply of proteins to repair your muscles.

For this reason, not taking in enough Vitamin B12 over time can lead to improper nervous system function, and will make it very hard for you to feel good in your every day life.

Some of the symptoms of the nervous system dysfunction caused by lack of Vitamin B12 are cognitive impairment, meaning your brain won't function as well, or will improperly interpret messages from your nerve endings, and tingling of the hands, feet, or other places where nerve endings occur.

The nerves in your body are protected by a sheath, which is called the myelin sheath, and it is this sheath that the fatty acids metabolized by Vitamin B12 are used to support.

If you do not take in enough Vitamin B12, then over time your myelin sheath could break down, leaving your nerves unprotected. For this reason, Vitamin B12 benefits should be considered more as imperatives when it comes to your nervous system health.

Vitamin B12 benefits are also quite apparent when it comes to the rest of your body, most particularly the heart and lungs.

Vitamin B12 aids in the production of DNA, which in turn aids in the production of red blood cells. Therefore without healthy levels of vitamin b12, your may not be producing enough red blood cells, or healthy red blood cells, and your heart and lungs will have to work much harder to get the rest of your body the oxygen it needs.

As I mentioned above, one form of anemia is caused by the lack of vitamin b12, this is called pernicious anemia, and most people who have this disease may actually eat enough of the vitamin, but it doesn't get absorbed due to a malfunction of the body's lack of a glycoprotein called intrinsic factor, which aids in the absorbtion of vitamin b12.

Vitamin b12 benefits to your heart and lungs are very important because they will keep you healthy and running strong for many more years than you will be able to without them.

If you find that you are having bouts of depression, memory impairment, difficulty breathing, or disproportionate hunger, consider talking to your doctor because all of these things can be vitamin b12 deficiency symptoms as well.

In order to get most of the Vitamin b12 benefits, you need to eat enough of the vitamin, or take it as a supplement. Although your body does produce some vitamin b12 in your intestines, it is generally not enough to be considered a healthy dose.

Some of the most common foods containing Vitamin b12 are meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. It can also be found in seaweed, and soy. These vegan sources of vitamin b12 are obviously great for vegetarians and vegans who are concerned about the issue.

As far as supplements, you will get the best absorption rate if you take sublingual vitamin b12, meaning it sits under your tongue and gets absorbed right into your bloodstream. The body does not absorb vitamin b12 well enough through the intestines for pills to be worth the money.

Many athletes are now also getting vitamin b12 injections to help boost their energy levels while they are active, as B vitamins in general help to metabolize carbohydrates and increase energy. And while vitamin b12 shots can be another good source, they aren't a very practical one with so many other common food sources of vitamin b12 available.

Another common source of vitamin b12 is yeast. Yeast was once thought to be an undigestible source of this vitamin, but that is now turning out to be untrue, meaning that small amounts of vitamin b12 are found in most bread products.

Overall the best vitamin b12 food sources are seaweed, soy, and shellfish.