Your body needs vitamin B-12 to keep your blood and nerve cells healthy and to make DNA. A deficiency of this important vitamin can cause anemia. Vitamin B-12 supplements are sometimes used to a variety of illnesses; however, most of these advantages are unproven. Talk to your doctor before taking vitamin B-12 supplements.
Prevents a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency
Taking vitamin B-12 can help prevent and treat vitamin B-12 deficiency, which can cause a number of neurological and psychiatric symptoms. These symptoms can include movement problems, fatigue, constipation, appetite and weight loss, muscle weakness, incontinence, low blood pressure, vision problems, dementia, psychosis, memory loss, confusion and depression. If untreated, a vitamin B-12 deficiency can also lead to anemia, which causes tiredness and weakness. Some people develop anemia because their bodies can't properly absorb vitamin B-12; these people can also benefit from supplementation.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration Prevention
There is some early research that suggests that taking vitamin B-12 might be helpful for those at risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to lead to blindness. When vitamin B-12 is taken in combination with folic acid and vitamin B6, it might help prevent the onset of macular degeneration.
Possible Energy Boost
Vitamin B-12 is sometimes advertised as a way to increase energy and endurance, often as a way for athletes to increase their performance. There is no solid evidence that this actually works in otherwise healthy people who do not have a vitamin B12 deficiency, according to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).
Link to a Reduction in Heart Disease
For a while, researchers thought that vitamin B-12 might reduce the risk of heart disease because it reduces blood levels of a chemical called homocysteine, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. But research indicates that reducing homocysteine levels with vitamin B-12 supplementation does not seem to reduce the risk of getting heart disease, according to the ODS. More research on the role of homocysteine in heart disease is needed.
Alzheimer's Disease Link
Some people with Alzheimer's disease have abnormally low levels of vitamin B-12 or high levels of homocysteine and as such, some researchers hope that vitamin B-12 supplementation might help. But so far, what little research has been done has not shown a benefit in taking vitamin B-12 for Alzheimer's patients, according to MedlinePlus. More research is needed to determine if there is a benefit.
Other Uses
Vitamin B-12 is sometimes advertised as a treatment for a variety of other conditions for which there just is not enough evidence to know whether it works or not, according to MedlinePlus. These conditions include shaky-leg syndrome; eczema; cervical, breast and lung cancer; chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis.
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