What are the benefits of taking vitamin B-12?
Vitamin B-12 is not readily available in unprocessed plant foods, but your needs can be easily met by taking sublingual vitamins or eating foods containing B-12.
Vitamin B-12 is the only dietary supplement that is not supplied by the intake of food. It is essential for the health of the nervous system, so everyone should take this vitamin regularly.
People with low levels of vitamin B-12 often have elevated blood levels of homocysteine, which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems and circulatory disorders.
The average non-vegetarian accumulates between 2,000 and 3,000 picograms (pg., or micrograms) of B-12 and loses about 3 pg. per day.
About 60% of all B-12 in the body is stored in the liver and about 30% is stored in the muscles. The body has a specific pattern of circulation between the digestive system and the liver.
Through the bile we release 1.4 pg. B-12 per day in the small intestine, and if the person is healthy, he reabsorbs about 0.7 pg. Research shows that if people have a low intake of B-12, absorption increases to get more of the vitamin into the body.
However, there are other possibilities for slow loss, depending on variations in this circulation, also known as the enterohepatic cycle, before we develop the full symptoms of deficiency of B-12.
The easiest and safest way to reach the required level of B-12 in the body is to buy B-12 tablets. They are placed under the tongue, where they dissolve, and B-12 enters the body by being absorbed by blood vessels in the mouth.
There are two types of tablets – those containing 25 to 100 micrograms of cyanocobalamin that are taken every day, and 1000 micrograms that are taken twice a week. Note that many brands of B-12 contain methylcobalamin, but most nutritionists believe that cyanocobalamin is the better choice.
Non-dairy milks, cereals, meat substitutes and some brands of nutritional yeast are foods fortified with B-12. Keep in mind that these foods contain the same B-12 we get from pills, so getting B-12 is no more natural than getting it through pills.
Furthermore, it can be difficult to achieve the required level of B-12 through food, as products containing B-12 are few and far between, and some are not readily available.
That is why it is much better to just buy from these tablets which can be easily found on various websites or in the natural product store.
Vitamin B12 may help prevent and/or treat the following diseases: alcoholism, anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, atherosclerosis, cancer, Crohn’s disease, dermatitis, fatigue, leukemia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, nervous degeneration, etc.
Too much vitamin B-12 can lead to blood clots, diarrhea, skin problems strong and serious allergic reaction. If any of these symptoms appear, consult your doctor immediately.
This vitamin is also unusual in that it depends on a substance called intrinsic factor to make its way from the gastrointestinal tract to the rest of the body.
Try to maintain the optimal amount of vitamin B-12 in your body so that your body can work well.
