Vitamin b12 is a water-soluble vitamin that's essential for the normal functioning of your body. It can be obtained from a variety of food sources and supplements. It's also available as a prescription medication.
vitamin b12 is an important part of the metabolic process that helps your body use energy and build red blood cells. Without enough of this vitamin, your body can't produce enough red blood cells, which can cause a serious condition known as megaloblastic anemia.
You can find vitamin b12 naturally in foods such as meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, and eggs. It's also found in fortified foods and supplements.
Getting enough of this vitamin is especially important for those who are vegetarian or vegan and have a medical condition that may make it difficult to absorb the vitamin from their diet. This includes people with Crohn's disease, or whose digestive tract is affected by certain surgeries or health conditions.
Vegetarians and vegans who don't get enough of this vitamin from their diet can take a multivitamin or dietary supplement to ensure they're getting enough of it. This is especially important for pregnant women, as a deficiency of vitamin B12 can lead to neural tube defects in the fetus.
The vitamin is also important for your heart health. If you're vitamin B12 deficient, your blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine can increase. High homocysteine levels have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
If you're not sure whether you're vitamin B12 deficient, talk to your doctor. He or she will be able to help you figure out if you need to get more of the vitamin through your diet or with a dietary supplement.
In a healthy body, vitamin B12 is produced naturally by the liver and your stomach. This process is called synthesis. However, the production of this vitamin in your body isn't always as efficient as it should be. This is because your stomach doesn't create a substance known as intrinsic factor to bind with the vitamin.
Intrinsic factor enables your stomach to absorb vitamin B12. It also binds with B12 in the intestines to make it available for your body to use.
Because of this, a deficiency of vitamin B12 is more likely in those who have stomach disorders or diseases that affect the gastrointestinal system. Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include fatigue, memory problems, and muscle weakness.
Some people may have a mild vitamin B12 deficiency and experience no symptoms, but others can have severe symptoms. For example, those with a B12 deficiency can develop a tongue inflammation called glossitis. This inflammation is painful and can prevent you from eating.
Those who have a deficiency of this vitamin can also suffer from anemia, which is when your red blood cells don't carry enough oxygen to your tissues and organs. This condition is known as a megaloblastic anemia, and can result in weight loss, fatigue, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, and neurological changes such as short-term memory loss and depression.
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