Surprising Health Benefits of Vitamin B12

Do you often struggle with fatigue, mood changes, lack of focus, and low energy levels? This may be a sign that you are deficient in an essential vitamin – vitamin B12. If that is the case, don’t worry, you are not alone. In fact, about 40% of people have low amounts of cobalamin or vitamin B12. This issue needs to be addressed because vitamin B12 is an important vitamin, especially for the production of DNA and red blood cells. There is no denying that this particular vitamin is essential for overall health. Vitamin B12 has a multitude of health benefits – we will be discussing them later in this article! If you want to learn more about what this vitamin can do for you, feel free to give this article a read.

Vitamin B12: What is its role?

The or cobalamin exists in various forms. It contains cobalt mineral, which is the reason why the vitamin B12 is collectively known as cobalamins. Furthermore, there are two different forms of vitamin B12 which are active in the human metabolism – they are 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin.

Vitamin B12 may benefit the central nervous system in various significant ways. It actually helps in maintaining the health of nerve cells, including those that are necessary for neurotransmitter signaling. Vitamin B12 also helps in forming the protective covering of the nerves, known as the myelin sheath. This means that when the body is low in vitamin B12 all the cognitive functions in the body may suffer.

The vitamin B12 is also beneficial for the digestion as well as heart health. Thus, the deficiency of it may lead to both increases in the risk of heart disease and digestive disorders. It may come in various food sources, vitamin B12 injections, or even as an intramuscular vitamin.

For most adults, the RDI or recommended daily intake of vitamin B12 is about 2.4 micrograms. The RDI tends to be higher for women who are breastfeeding or pregnant.

Suggested Dietary Allowance of Vitamin B12

The table below delineates the suggested dietary allowance for cobalamine:

Age GroupAgeRDA
Infants0 to 6 months old0.4 micrograms
Infants7 to 12 months old0.5 micrograms
Toddlers1 to 3 years old0.9 micrograms
Children4 to 8 years old1.2 micrograms
Children9 to 13 years old1.8 micrograms
Adults14 years old and above2.4 micrograms
Pregnant women2.6 micrograms
Breastfeeding mother2.8 micrograms

The vitamin B12 may help the body in a lot of ways. The health benefits of vitamin B12 include the improvement of memory as well as help in preventing chronic conditions such as heart disease. To find out more of the health benefits of vitamin B12 keep on scrolling!

Health Benefits of Vitamin B12                                                                                                      

Here are some of the most surprising health benefits of vitamin B12:

Vitamin B12: Can I consume too much of it?

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. The body has the capacity to flush it out of the system through the production of urine. As a result, the vitamin B12 is non-toxic and is safe to consume. Nevertheless, it is always best to avoid exceeding the recommended daily amount of the vitamin. Furthermore, do not take large amounts of any supplements without consulting your doctor first. Even though the side effects of vitamin B12 are rare, some individuals can experience itching, anxiousness, swelling, and headache due to  excessive consumption of this important vitamin.

Bear in mind that some people can also experience trouble in the proper absorption of vitamin B12 due to digestive issues. For those individuals, taking more and more vitamin B12 is not going to solve the problem itself. They need to identify the reason why their body is failing to absorb the proper nutrients in the first place.  Resolving gut health issues can help maximize the use of vitamin B12 as well as all other nutrients.

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