How Does Vitamin B12 Help Our Bodies?

How Does Vitamin B12 Help Our Bodies?
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Vitamin B12 helps your health in many different ways. It helps your body to fully use folic acid and carbohydrates, notes the American Cancer Society. Eating a wide range of foods helps ensure vitamin B12 levels stay strong. Foods that contain B12 include clams, beef, liver, eggs, milk, chicken and fish. The recommended daily amount of vitamin B12 is 2.4 mcg for adults, reports the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health.

Keeps Nervous System Strong

Your nervous system is kept strong and functioning optimally by intake of vitamin B12, notes the American Cancer Society. Thus, this vitamin ensures the nervous system is able to relay messages to the brain to help your body react quickly to events that threaten safety. The nervous system is a crucial part of your body. It is active constantly as you go about your daily activities.

Helps Create Red Blood Cells

B12 intake helps your body create red blood cells, which help prevent anemia. This vitamin helps keep your energy level strong and gives you more vitality for daily activities. This vitamin also works to stimulate growth.

Works to Create DNA

Vitamin B12 also helps your body make deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), notes the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. DNA is the hereditary information stored in each cell in your body. When cells divide, the new cell will contain the exact DNA as the original cell, notes Genetics Home Reference of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Vitamin B12 is a crucial part of helping DNA strong and able to replicate correctly when creating new cells.

Keeps Cognitive Skills Strong

Getting enough vitamin B12 in food or a daily vitamin helps keep your cognitive abilities strong, notes Harvard Health Publication. This vitamin helps ensure your intellect will function optimally. This is an especially important vitamin as you age. If you are above age 80, talk to your doctor to get information about which foods have vitamins to keep your brain functioning optimally.

References

Article reviewed by Brandon Nolta Last updated on: Jan 19, 2011

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