Cobalamin, better known to most folks as Vitamin B12, is among the handful of vitamins the body needs to have for functions, processes, healing, health and general support. The human body can’t produce it, but we can extract Vitamin B12 from external sources. Our most common form of Vitamin B12 is through food consumption, but it can also be obtained through oral supplements and injections.
Critical Body Functions are Supported
Specifically, Vitamin B12 provides one of the key ingredients for maintaining regular function of three key areas: DNA synthesis as the cellular level, red blood cell information exchange, and nerve cell function. Just those three areas alone are a huge impact on the human body’s processes. Also, Vitamin B12 helps increase overall daily energy and keeps memory functions working properly and avoiding heart disease.
The typical intake for the vitamin is about 2.4 mcg daily, however it can be higher from women when they are going through pregnancy or feeding a newborn. The vitamin is one of several strongly recommended supplements for a health pregnancy, contributing to normal nervous system and brain development in the fetus. Women did not have sufficient Vitamin B12 during pregnancy, birth defect risk has been higher by as much as 300 percent.
Without Vitamin B12 humans would not have the complete ability to generate healthy red blood cells. Case after case has been documented with Vitamin B12 deficiencies contributing to poor blood cell production and malfunctions. Serious cases can result in megaloblastic anemia, where the ill-formed red blood cells can’t move from the bone marrow to circulation. And that makes it hard on the rest of the body to carry oxygen and nutrients through circulation in a normal manner.
Vitamin B12 can also enhance bone health, an important issue for older adults and seniors who need to maintain sufficient bone strength and avoid osteoporosis. And, if that’s not enough in benefits, the vitamin is also essential for helping fend off age-related loss of eyesight focal ability or macular degeneration.
A Notable Influence on Mental Health
In terms of psychological impact, there is a relationship between reducing depression and a steady intake of Vitamin B12 supplements. These patients have already been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency in the first place. The deficiency seems to enhance the aggressiveness of the depression, and Vitamin B12 is a helping resource in improvement and when combined with anti-depressant pharmaceuticals. Much of this effect comes from the impact B12 has on the body’s serotonin creation, a key internal resource for moods.
Anyone can end up Vitamin B12 deficient, but seniors are more prone to the problem due to decreased food consumption and regular intake. That said, one out of five people generally tend to have a lower than normal level of B12 when measured, putting them at risk for deficiency status. Many tend to have gastro-intestinal issues, they have gone through some kind of gastric surgery, they are on a very limited vegan intake diet, or they take regular pharmaceuticals for blood sugar regulation or heartburn. In some less common cases, adults have a condition that blocks their ability to intake B12 naturally through digestion in the stomach.
How Vitamin B12 Can Be Taken
In most cases, the typical intake happens as people eat food daily, so a good diet has such a positive impact, including B12 consumption. The vitamin can easily be found in protein such as meats and dairy products.