There are many different important vitamins out there, and we’re told we need a certain percentage of all of them to truly be healthy. But does anyone really understand what these vitamins do? We may know about a few of them, but most we simply take because we’re told to. This is often the case with Vitamin B12, one of the many B vitamins that are on the list of daily recommended vitamins.

Vitamin B12, sometimes referred to as Cobalamin, has two main functions: it produces DNA and RNA. Both of these acids contain our genetic information and are required in the process of creating new cells. Of course, there’s a lot more to Vitamin B12 than just these two important functions. However, the creation of new cells is vital to our bodies and for this reason alone, B12 is important.

Vitamin B12 is also responsible for helping our bodies produce a variety of important hormones, including melatonin, serotonin, and myonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps us fall asleep and helps us have good, healthy, restorative sleep cycles. Serotonin affects our moods, and when if a person has an imbalance or lack of serotonin, he or she may experience depression or mood swings. Finally, myonin helps keep our nerves healthy and protected from damage.

The good news is that most of us get all of the Vitamin B12 we need, and B12 deficiency is fairly rare. However, some people do lack the necessary substance in the intestines that helps the body absorb Vitamin B12. Lack of this substance, known as intrinsic factor, is often associated with other stomach and digestive issues. If you suffer from a number of stomach problems and notice that you aren’t sleeping well or are depressed a lot, you may not be absorbing enough Vitamin B12. You may want to talk to you doctor about testing your intestines for intrinsic factor. The earlier you discover this health issue, the better.

If it turns out you do have a Vitamin B12 deficiency, it may lead to what is called pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia results in your red blood cell count dropping and the cells themselves becoming larger. This can make it hard for you to walk, throw off your balance, make you feel weak, and even cause permanent damage to your nerves. If you catch it early enough, the problem can be corrected and most of the symptoms reversed. However, if it goes on long enough, the damage to your nerves can lead to many other problems.

Obviously, then, you want to get the recommended amount of Vitamin B12 every day. Most people get B12 from animal products, which are the best source of the vitamin. Foods like liver, fish, cheese, milk, eggs, and other dairy products are high in Vitamin B12. This means that those of you who enjoy a vegetarian or, especially, a vegan lifestyle may need to take B12 supplements or a daily multivitamin that contains a high amount of B12 to get as much of the vitamin as you need.