All our lives we've been told the importance of taking bodies for good health. We're very familiar with many of the more common vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin C & D, but other vitamins many aren't familiar with such as the Vitamin B group. Each vitamin has a certain role to do in our body. In most cases, each of these roles is different. If we have a certain vitamin deficiency in our body, we need that vitamin or the deficiency will continue. For instance, if our body has a Vitamin B12 deficiency, we can take all the Vitamin C and D in the world and it won't help the deficiency of Vitamin B12. Sound simple enough? Unbelievably, many don't understand this concept.
What Vitamin B12 Does For Our Body
Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as Cobalamin because it contains a metal called cobalt. One of the more important vitamins we take for overall good health is Vitamin B12. Many don't fully understand the importance of this vitamin or its role in enhancing our good health. Vitamin B12 helps maintain red blood cells and healthy nerve cells. It helps promote proper brain and central nervous system functions as well as producing DNA. Vitamin B12 plays an important role in our digestion as well. It helps to metabolize our fatty acids and turn it into energy. We all know that fat is a major source of energy for us and we obtain this energy when we burn stored fat. Although exercise helps us to burn fat, Vitamin B12 helps contribute to our ability to smoothly transition this metabolic function.
Sources and Required Amounts of Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 can be found in many different foods, but specifically from in foods that come from animals such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, milk and milk products. Vegetarians can get their sources of Vitamin B12 from different fortified breakfast cereals on the market today. Specific sources of this important vitamin are mollusks, clams, beef liver and trout. The Recommended Dietary Allowances of Vitamin B12 are 2.4 micrograms per day for adults, 2.4 micrograms for teenagers, 1.8 for ages 9-13 and approximately 1 or under the age of 9. Pregnant and nursing women require from 2.6 to 2.8 micrograms per day.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency
According to recent surveys, most adults and children consume the required amounts of Vitamin B12. A Vitamin B12 deficiency may still occur in certain circumstances such as an individual that is unable to absorb the vitamin from their food or a vegetarian that is not eating the right foods that have the vitamin. Most of the people that develop a are those having an intestinal or stomach disorder making it unable to absorb the vitamin. Some of the symptoms of deficiency are reduced cognitive function, anemia, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, constipation. This deficiency can also lead to numbness or tingling in the feet and hands and maintaining balance.
Why is that so?
Among all products, the most readily available sources in animal products, which is in meat stuff. The causes of such deficiency can be avoided by supplementing daily with Vitamin B12 pills. Even when you believe you maintain a carefully balanced vegetarian diet, Vitamin B12 is the one to watch.
There are lots of people asking, what are the main causes of deficiency and how good is this minerals.
The main causes of the deficiency fall into 2 grouping. 1) Nutritional factors and 2) problems of absorption.
1) Nutritional Reasons
Meat products are the only foods that provide significant amounts of vitamin B12. The richest sources are liver and kidneys of consumable-meat stuff. Fish, eggs, cheese and meat also contain good amounts. There are no significant herbal sources.
Some researchers claim to have discovered vitamin B12 in algae, seaweeds and fermented foods such as tempeh - however recently this has been dis-proven.
Which type of people are at risk of this vitamin deficiency the above factors. This include:
1) Vegans
A vegan diet must be supplemented with this mineral. The body is able to store this vitamin and also has clever mechanisms for recycling it when there is a dietary lack - however eventually it will become depleted.
It is particularly important to take the supplements immediately on converting to a vegan diet, because it takes some time for the body to become more efficient in recycling. Calcium may also need to be supplemented. This mineral is necessary for b12 absorption and is often lacking in vegan diets.
For people taking alcoholic beverage
Alcohol causes depletion of the vitamin b12 and other vitamins and minerals. Over consumption of alcohol will damage liver and intestine function resulting in poor nutrient absorption
2) There are problems of absorption
This vitamin is a large molecule and quite touch for our body to absorb. The body has developed a sophisticated system for dealing with it. The stomach produces a substance called intrinsic factor that carries vitamin b through the digestive tract for absorption in the lower part of the small intestine (ileum).
The mechanism for absorbing this mineral may be affected by a variety of factors:
Surgery to remove part of the stomach or the ileum may result in damaged its absorption. Insufficient gastric acid. This mineral in food needs to be cleaved from its carrier proteins by the stomach acids.
If for any reason there is an insufficiency of hydrochloric acid it will not be available for absorption. This situation may occur for many reasons, including long-term use of antacids and certain pharmaceutical drugs such was Metformin (a diabetic drug).
Helicobacter Pylori bacterial infection of the stomach. This bacteria infects the stomach lining and may cause ulcers. Although H. Pylori infection is quite common and may cause no apparent symptoms it can prevent the production of intrinsic factor and thereby impair Vitamin B12 absorption.
Parasites such as tape worms.
Other chronic gastro-intestinal problems such as Crohn's Disease.
What are the symptoms of vitamin b deficiency?
A long-term deficiency of Vitamin b can be extremely serious. This vitamin works closely with folic acid to produce haemoglobin in red blood cells. It also plays a crucial role in DNA synthesis and proper nerve and brain function.
There are some early-warning symptoms of b12 depletion are some burning sensation in the hands and feet, numbness and damaged mental function. However these signs may go unnoticed before a more serious problem develops.
The lack of this supplement can lead to a blood disorder called "Pernicious Anaemia" which may result in blindness and permanent damage to the nervous system. We definitely want to avoid getting to this point before addressing the deficiency!
Therefore, besides the good about vitamin b, people should know the deficiency of vitamin b so as to lead a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
Both Alisonaddy & Gannboy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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