Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin needed for several processes in your body. The water-soluble vitamin is found in seafood, meat, dairy products and fortified cereals. Vitamin B12 is needed to help form cells, keep your nervous system healthy and to properly metabolize food. Not getting enough vitamin B12 can affect your nerve functioning, as well as contribute to types of anemia.
Making Cells
Vitamin B12 is needed to form red blood cells, and to help make DNA and RNA. The vitamin works with folate, another B vitamin, to regulate the production of red blood cells. It also helps iron work more efficiently. A deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause megaloblastic anemia, which is characterized by larger-than-normal red blood cells. Pernicious anemia, a blood abnormality, can cause vitamin B12 deficiency if not treated. Vitamin B12 also plays a role in making your genetic material in DNA and RNA, so it is important that pregnant women get adequate amounts of the vitamin.
Nervous System
Vitamin B12 is also used to make and maintain healthy nerve cells. While vitamin B12 deficiency is not common, even slightly low levels can cause abnormal neurological symptoms. A deficiency often results in nerve disturbances, such as muscle weakness, shaky movements or tingling in the hands and feet. You are most at risk for a deficiency if you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, are elderly or if you have had stomach surgery.
Metabolism
Vitamin B12 also plays a role in metabolism, along with the other B vitamins. The vitamin helps the body make energy from the food we eat, breaking carbohydrates down into more simple sugars. The B vitamins also help the body digest proteins and fats. This helps your body use the food you eat more efficiently as fuel.
Sources
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating a balanced diet to meet nutrient needs through real food rather than supplements. Vitamin B12 is found in many different foods, making it easier to meet your needs. Fish, especially salmon, trout and tuna, contain vitamin B12, as do clams. Liver and red meats also contain high amounts of this vitamin. Dairy products such as low-fat milk, yogurt and cheeses are also recommended sources. Vegetarians can obtain the vitamin from fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.
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