Vitamin B12 helps your body maintain healthy nerve and red blood cells. Your body requires B12 to produce deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, the genetic material in all your cells. The Mayo Clinic website suggests that you can get your daily supply of B12 by ingesting a chicken breast, hard-boiled egg and a cup of plain low-fat yogurt. B12 deficiency is rare but disease, vegan and strict vegetarian diets may promote B12 deficiency.
Coblamin
According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, B12 vitamins are called "coblamins," because these vitamins contain the mineral cobalt. One cobalt atom is the central metal component of vitamin B12. The D.C. Nutrition website indicates that cobalt is a co-factor and activator for enzymes in your body and conditions nitrogen for amino acid production.
Water Soluble
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in foods. Your body generally does not store water-soluble vitamins, but B12 is an exception. According the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, the human body normally stores enough B12 to last three to five years. The Colorado State University Extension website notes that storage and preparation techniques may diminish water-soluble vitamin content in foods.
Methylcobalamin
The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements indicates that methylcobalamin is one of the two forms of vitamin B12 that is active in your metabolism. Your body converts forms of B12 in foods like hydroxycobalamin into methylcobalamin to use this nutrient in your metabolism. According to Pro Health, neurological diseases may be linked to methylcoblamin deficiency and suggests that your body needs this form of B12 to protect you from neurological diseases and age-related degenerative conditions.
5'-Deoxyadenosylcobalamin
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements indicates that 5'-Deoxyadenosyclobalamin one of two active forms of vitamin B12 in your metabolism. 5'-Deoxyadenosyclobalamin is a naturally occurring coenzyme form of vitamin B12. Animal foods like organ meats, fish and dairy products are common sources of 5'-Deoxyadenosyclobalamin. According to the "European Food and Safety Authority" journal, 5'-Deoxyadenosylcobalamin is the primary form of vitamin B12 in human tissues.
Cofactor for Methionine Synthase
Vitamin B12 is a cofactor for methionine synthase. Methionine synthase drives the conversion of a substance known as homocysteine to methionine. Your body requires methionine to form a "methyl donor" for substrates in your body like DNA, RNA and hormones.
Cofactor for L-Methylmalonyl-CoA Mutase
Accordint to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, L-methylmalonyl-CoA mutase converts L-methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA. This conversion is essential for the metabolism of dietary fat and protein. Your body needs succinyl-CoA to synthesize hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B12 Fact Sheet
- Colorado State University Extension: Water-Soluble Vitamins
- Pro Health: Methylcobalamin: A Potential Breakthrough in Neurological Disease
- ESFA: Scientific Opinion on 5'-Deoxyadenosylcobalamin and Methylcobalamin as Sources for Vitamin B12
- Medline Plus: Hemoglobin
- D.C. Nutrition: Cobalt
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