1. Vitamin B12 is found in animal foods, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and milk products.
2. Pernicious anemia is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12.
3. It can take up to 5 years to discover you have a vitamin B12 deficiency.
4. Vitamin B12 is important to the maintenance of healthy red blood cells and nerve cells.
5. DNA cannot be made without vitamin B12.
6. A prolonged lack of vitamin B12 is suspected in Alzheimer’s and other forms of neurological damage.
7. Some people are unable to absorb vitamin B12 and must have regular B12 shots.
8. The human body excretes the vitamin B12 it has used, and then reabsorbs it.
9. Symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency can include chronic anemia, fatigue, or weakness, numbness and/or tingling of hands or feet, sore tongue or mouth, diarrhea, loss of appetite, paleness, shortness of breath, or in severe cases, confusion.
10. The best source of Vitamin B12 is beef liver, with 3 ounces providing 1,000% of daily requirements.
Lovers of beef liver need have no fear, as getting too much of a good thing, B12 in this case, is not to be worried over. As the Institute of Medicine states, “No adverse effects have been associated with excess vitamin B12 intake from food and supplements in healthy individuals.”
Most of us get plenty of Vitamin B12 in our normal diets. Some people, however, do not, and, because of the potential for serious health consequences, may need to take supplements in order to prevent a deficiency. They include:
A)Older adults. As our bodies age it may become more difficult to separate vitamin B12 from the protein in our food, a key to vitamin B12 absorption.
B)People with gastrointestinal disorders. These can prevent the body from absorbing enough vitamin B12 to maintain adequate body stores.
C)People with pernicious anemia. This form of anemia strikes when there is enough of the intrinsic factor necessary in the stomach to promote vitamin B12 absorption.
D) Vegetarians and vegans. Except for animal based foods, no others provide vitamin B12.
The good news for anybody suffering from, or at risk for, vitamin B12 deficiency is that dietary supplements and fortified foods are readily available that provide plenty of vitamin B12. So take heart, you don’t have to force down that beef liver!
Though we know the vitamin B12 is necessary for nerve and blood cells and the synthesis of DNA, ongoing research is turning up important new possibilities for vitamin B12. For example, it is being used in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and is even showing promise as a treatment for atherosclerosis.
Copyright © Dennis Becker, 2004.
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