Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is part of the B vitamin complex, and it aids your body in converting the food you eat into energy. It also helps maintain your skin, nervous system and internal organs, making this vitamin an essential part of your diet. Additionally, B12 can be used to treat various conditions and health problems. However, check with your doctor before you begin taking it.
Function
Each of the eight B vitamins, including B12, converts carbohydrates into glucose, which your body then uses as energy, and they help your body process fats and proteins as well. The health of your hair, eyes and nerve cells, as well as the production of your genetic material, depends on B12. Vitamins B12 and B9 work together to regulate your red blood cells and maintain the function of your immune system and mood.
Pernicious Anemia
Pernicious anemia is a condition where your body becomes unable to absorb vitamin B12 due to your stomach's inability to produce intrinsic factor. Symptoms of this dangerous condition may include weakness, pale skin, weight loss, fever, loss of balance and others. To treat pernicious anemia, your doctor may prescribe high doses of oral B12 supplements or injections, and this treatment will most likely have to be continued throughout your life.
B12 Deficiency
B12 supplements or injections can also be used to treat a deficiency of this vitamin, which may lead to abnormal neurological and psychiatric symptoms. You may be at risk for a deficiency if you are elderly, vegan, have HIV, have an eating disorder or have a malabsorption condition. Talk to your doctor if you fall under these categories or if you believe you may have a deficiency of B12. The RDA for adults over the age of 19 is 2.4 mcg, though people over the age of 50 may need more. Furthermore, if you take folic acid, or B9, in high doses, it can mask a B12 deficiency and lead to neurological damage. Check with your health care provider before taking more than 800 mcg of folic acid a day.
Fatigue
One of the symptoms of a B12 deficiency is fatigue, and taking a supplement can help correct this. However, some people believe that taking B12 supplements or injections can help treat chronic fatigue, even if you are not deficient in the vitamin. While this may be true, both MayoClinic.com and the University of Maryland Medical Center state that further research is needed to determine the efficacy of B12 for treating chronic fatigue not associated with a vitamin deficiency.
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