Vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin, promotes proper red blood cell formation, DNA synthesis and neurologic function. You may get it naturally in foods such as milk, fish and poultry. However, plant products generally do not contain this important vitamin. Therefore, if you are a vegetarian, you should get your vitamin B12 from dietary supplements and pasteurized milk. Daily intake of 2 to 3 mcg of vitamin B 12 per day is recommended by The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
Decreased Cardiovascular Risk
Elevations in blood homocysteine, an amino acid, may result in the increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. Three vitamins regulate the amount of homocysteine in the body: vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12. Supplementation of vitamin B12 combined with folate may reduce the blood homocysteine concentration by seven percent. Vitamin B 12 deficiency, as Linus Pauling Institute explains, is considered as the major cause of increased homocysteine levels in the blood in patients older than 60 years.
Decreased Cancer Risk
The synthesis of DNA, the gene-carrying component within each cell, requires the presence of folate according to the Linus Pauling Institute. In fact, the deficiency of folate results in the increased susceptibility of DNA strands to damage. If you happen to have a deficiency in the supply of vitamin B 12, entrapment of folate in a form that is unusable to the synthesis of your DNA can occur. This elevation in the rate of DNA damage may increase your risk for cancer development.
Mental Impairment Protection
Vitamin B 12 deficiency, coupled with concomitant increase in the homocysteine levels, leads to the deterioration and impairment of cognitive function, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Accumulation of homocysteine in the blood results in diminished level s of special chemicals responsible for the metabolism of neurotransmitters, the substances that transmit electrical impulses from one brain cell to another, thereby triggering the development of dementia.
Improved Energy
Most athletes see vitamin B12 as a vitamin needed for the improvement of endurance and energy. Vitamin B12 deficiency results in anemia. Anemia, in turn, causes fatigue and weakness. With the correction of vitamin B12 deficiency, improvement in the symptoms of fatigue and weakness occurs. However, in the absence of any vitamin B12 deficiency, no improvement in the athletic performance can be seen, explains the Office of Dietary Supplements.
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