What is Vitamin B12? Benefits of Vitamin B12 for Health, Symptoms of Deficiency and the Best Source of Vitamins
What isVitamin B12? Benefits of Vitamin B12 for Health, Symptoms of Deficiency and theBest Source of Vitamins - Vitamin B12 is one of the essential "B
complex" vitamins, which are essential to good health. Vitamin B12 can be
found in several forms, and any compounds which have B12 activities are called
'cobalamins'.
Humans have two forms of active B12 in their metabolism,
which are called 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin. B12 also
contains the mineral known as cobalt. It can be found naturally in some foods,
and it is added to other foods.
What are the
deficiency symptoms?
The elderly and sometimes those suffering with
pernicious anemia find that their bodies to not absorb the proper amounts of
vitamin B12. Also some people who have lower levels of stomach acid production
also have problems with absorbing this vitamin.
THOSE WHO ARE
NOT RECEIVING THE BENEFITS WILL NOTICE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS:
- Constipation
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia
- Difficulty maintaining balance
- Confusion
- Poor memory
- Dementia
- Sore tongue or mouth
- Numbness in hands or feet.
WHAT ARE THE
BEST FOOD SOURCES?
To reap the benefits of vitamin B12, you can add
foods to your diet which are rich in this vitamin. Some of the foods that
contain B12 are:
- Plain yogurt
- Milk
- Chicken
- Eggs
- (fortified) Breakfast cereals
- Beef
- Fish
- Clams
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Most vegetables and plant foods do not contain B12.
WHAT ARE THE
HEALTH BENEFITS?
The benefits of vitamin B12 are that it is essential
to keeping our central nervous system healthy. It also helps keep our energy
levels at optimum levels and helps the formation of red blood cells.
Studies have shown that B12 can also help fight
asthma in children. Many studies have also shown that it can be beneficial for
the treatment of HIV as most HIV patients are deficient in Vitamin B12, and
some scientists believe that it could possibly help in keeping the virus from
replicating.