Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that occurs naturally only in animal products. Strict vegetarians and vegans can eat cereals and yeasts artificially fortified with vitamin B12 or take a supplement to maintain adequate levels. The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements recommends that healthy adults consume 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 per day.
General Health
Vitamin B12 contributes to healthy nerve and red blood cell maintenance and is necessary for the creation of DNA. The body can store several years worth of vitamin B12, but the Linus Pauling Institute reports that up to 15 percent of people over age 60 may suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency because age decreases the body's ability to absorb vitamin B12. Other groups at risk for deficiency include those with malabsorption diseases and strict vegetarians and vegans. Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include numbness and tingling in the extremities, difficulty walking, confusion, memory loss, anorexia and constipation.
Megaloblastic Anemia
Vitamin B12 deficiency is one cause of megaloblastic anemia, which is characterized by enlarged red blood cells with an increased nucleus to cell cytoplasm ratio. If vitamin B12 deficiency is the underlying cause of megaloblastic anemia, the disease can be successfully treated with supplemental B12.
Pernicious Anemia
Pernicious anemia occurs when the body lacks intrinsic factor, a substance that must bind with naturally occurring vitamin B12 for the body to be able to absorb the vitamin. Because the body can absorb supplemental vitamin B12 without intrinsic factor, lifelong B12 supplementation successfully treats pernicious anemia.
Disease Prevention
There is an association between Alzheimer's disease and low vitamin B12 levels, according to MayoClinic.com, but it is quick to point out that vitamin B12 deficiency causes neurological problems similar to Alzheimer's disease and that more research is necessary before vitamin B12 supplementation can be recommended for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. High homocysteine levels are associated with increased incidence of vascular disease. Vitamin B12 can lower homocysteine levels, but there is currently no evidence linking increased vitamin B12 intake with lower rates of vascular disease. There is some evidence that vitamin B12 supplementation successfully treats fatigue, but the underlying cause of fatigue should be diagnosed before vitamin B12 treatment is administered.
Member Comments