Vitamin B12 assists the body in more ways than one – although one of the key functions it performs is to help in the making of red blood cells. These cells help deliver oxygen to the body’s vital organs, including the heart and brain.  This oxygen is important in providing you with the necessary energy to get through each day.

An Overview of Vitamin B12
As a part of the vitamin B complex, vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. However, vitamin B12 is unique among all the water-soluble vitamins in that it is not excreted quickly in the urine. Rather, vitamin B12 is accumulated and stored in the liver, kidney, and other body tissues. As a result of this storage factor of vitamin B12, a deficiency in this vitamin may not manifest itself or show its symptoms until after five or six years of diet with inadequate supply of vitamin B12. Another reason for the uniqueness of vitamin B12 lies in the fact that only smaller amounts of this vitamin is required and the body already makes full use of it. For instance, ten micrograms of B12 spread over a day seems to be able to provide adequate supply for the body to use. Vitamin B12 is also called cobalamin owing to the fact that it contains the metal, cobalt.

What are the Health Benefits of Vitamin B12?
The main benefit of vitamin B12 in food is to function as a methyl donor. By working with folic acid, it plays an important role in the synthesis of DNA the genetic material of all cells. It also appears to promote and maintain the normal function of healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. Vitamin B12 in food is also vitally important in maintaining the health of the insulation sheath or the myelin sheath that surround all nerve cells. Thus, lack of vitamin B12 in the body may sometimes result in neurologically related conditions.

Unlike many vitamins, B12 is not found in animals or plants; Vitamin B12 is exclusively produced by bacteria.  When animals consume plants or drink water contaminated by these specific bacteria, the vitamin ends up being stored in their body, mostly in the liver.

Vitamin B12 also assists in white blood cell production. White Blood Cells are crucial to keeping the immune system strong. Another way vitamin B12 benefits the body is by properly maintaining the nervous system and helping to keep nerve cells healthy, which keeps the brain functioning the way it should.  The B12 vitamin also assists in the creation and regulation of DNA, which is present in every cell in the body.  Since this nutrient is also a very powerful antioxidant, it helps fight off free radicals which researchers have said can lead to cancer.

By making sure you do have enough vitamin B12 in your body, you can avoid permanent nerve damage with associated symptoms like pins and needles, numbness, tingling, memory loss, attention deficit disorder, depression, dizziness, fatigue and mood swings.

Vitamin B12 shots are designed to provide the user with a boost in energy and a prolonged source of energy to use during the day. There are some advantages to getting Vitamin B Vitamin supplements in the form of Vitamin B12 injections. Because the vitamin is absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream this way, B12 injections can provide a quick energy boost. Many people who get vitamin B12 injections notice an improvement in their energy level within a few days, if not sooner. In addition to feeling more energy, the shots can be effective in terms of clearer skin, better sleep, improved memory, and feeling less stressed.  The fact is that Vitamin B12 is a micro nutrient that is used in the process of energy release. Without the presence of Vitamin B12 you could not burn calories and your energy would not be released.

Vitamin B12 and Weight Loss: The main sources of vitamin B12 are meat, poultry, milk, eggs and fish. Naturally, those who follow a strict vegetarian diet have to rely on vitamin supplements. There are several people who opt for vitamin B12 injections as a cure for obesity. Vitamin B12 shots are directly injected into the muscles for better absorption. People who choose vitamin B12 injections for weight loss, often have a history of chronic fatigue syndrome or a vitamin B12 deficiency. There are many reason why vitamin B12 works for them. Vitamin B12 is one of the most difficult nutrients for our bodies to absorb, which is why so many people become deficient.

Taking vitamin B12 as an oral tablet is another option. However, B12 pills are often not very effective.

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Symptoms of B12 Deficiency Often vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is not diagnosed until it is moderate to severe. Having a B12 deficiency means that your body does not have enough of this vitamin. It can lead to anemia, which means you do not have enough red blood cells to do the job and can leave you feeling week and tired.

Some common symptoms associated with b12 deficiency are:

• Feeling week, tired or lightheaded
• Memory loss and or disorientation
• Having pale skin, or white spots on the skin, resulting from melatonin becoming absent in the area
• Have a sore, red or itchy tongue. Some may experience sores at eh corners of the mouth. These are raw spots, not blisters, and they tend to come and go
• Numbness or tingling in your fingers and or toes
• Sharp stabbing pain in the palm of one or both hands
• Eye twitch, usually in one eye or the other. It can occur on the eyelid or just below
• Depression

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Blood Test:Miami Lab offers easy blood test to determine of your body is deficient on Vitamin B12 and Folates. B12 and folate are B complex vitamins that are necessary for normal red blood cell formation, tissue and cellular repair, and DNA synthesis. A B12 and/or folate deficiency reflects a chronic shortage of one or both of these vitamins. Since the body stores 3 to 5 years worth of B12 and several months’ supply of folate in the liver, deficiencies and their associated symptoms can take months to years to manifest in adults. Infants and children will show signs of deficiency more rapidly, however, as they have not yet established extensive reserves.

Vitamin B May Help Prevent Mental Decline in Elderly Elderly people with mild memory problems may benefit from taking very high daily doses of vitamin B to slow the rate of brain shrinkage, say researchers. A University of Oxford study found that taking vitamin B tablets every day can reduce the rate of brain atrophy in older people with mild cognitive impairment by as much as half.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Linked to Hearing Loss in Wisconsin For elderly adults, the deficiency of vitamin B12 is quite common and may be the underlying factor that results in age-related hearing loss. As a side effect of vitamin B12 deficiency, many older adults report the initial symptoms of hearing loss to be complications of tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, followed by auditory hallucination development.

Vitamin B12 for Cancer Prevention There is growing evidence that Vitamin B12 is valuable in the prevention of cancer. Vitamin B12 is produced in the guts of animals, and is found in meat, chicken, eggs and dairy products.  In order to absorb the vitamin B12 from our food, our stomachs must produce hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor.An example of a vitamin B12 deficiency that has been linked to stomach cancer is with regard to pernicious anemia. Regarding breast cancer, researchers at John Hopkins University compared blood samples of women with breast cancer to those without cancer. They found that women with breast cancer had vitamin B12 plasma levels that were lower than those without cancer.Other cancers that may be linked to a vitamin B12 deficiency include oral cancer, lung cancer and cervical cancer.  

It can take 6 years or more of your body not getting adequate B12 before symptoms will begin showing up. There are many consequences of experiencing low B12 in your body. One of the most commonly recognized is neurological problems that are so extreme that they're typically mistaken for Alzheimers disease. Left untreated, this may lead to irreversible neurological impairment.Well before it gets to this point, other symptoms of a B12 deficiency show up.

How is Vitamin B12 Deficiency treated?

Treatment is usually shots of vitamin B12 in your arm or another muscle. Typically injections once a month will reduce mild symptoms of deficiency within a few days. You don't need to worry about getting too much vitamin B12, because your body will pass extra vitamin B12 out in the urine. Most people feel better within days of beginning treatment. For more severe cases, an injection once a week may be necessary.

How soon can I see an improvement?

You may feel a difference in as little as 12 hours. Some symptoms may disappear completely within a few days, some may take a few months or longer to completely clear up, especially white spots. On the other hand some symptoms, such as eye twitch or nerve shock may vanish completely but then try to emerge again when you body starts getting low of vitamin B12

Positive Health Benefits
Vitamin B12 benefits your body in many ways. One of its key functions is to help your body in the creation of red blood cells. These cells help carry oxygen to your vital organs, including your heart and brain. This oxygen is crucial in providing you the necessary energy to get through each day. B12 also helps with white cell production, which is vital to keeping your immune system strong, which in turn keeps you healthy.

Vitamin B12 is properly maintaining your nervous system and helping to keep nerve cells healthy. This in turn keeps your brain functioning the way it should. B vitamins also assists in the production and regulation of DNA, which is present in every cell in your body. And since this nutrient is also a very strong antioxidant, it helps fight off free radicals which can lead to cancer. It is important that your body gets some vitamin B12 every day. It helps metabolize the food you eat so you can utilize it for energy. It does this by helping turn the carbohydrates in your food to glucose. When the glucose is released into your system, it gives you energy. Many people who struggle with fatigue and low energy often have a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Can Vitamin B-12 Lower Dangerous Homocysteine Levels? Vitamin B12 is also very important when it comes to helping your body metabolize a particular amino acid called Homocysteine. Homocysteine often referred to as HCY, can be dangerous to your health if the levels become too high. This is often due to a vitamin B12 deficiency. Too much HCY can be very destructive to your veins and arteries. Toxic levels of this amino acid in your blood can lead to stroke, heart disease and even Alzheimer's. Vitamin B12 helps keep your HCY at a safe level in your body.

Vitamin B12 also plays an important role in your overall mood. It has been discovered that people who have plenty of B12 in their system tend to respond better to treatment for depression. It also helps you think more clearly, concentrate better and remember things more readily. This may be due to the important role B vitamins play in maintaining a healthy nervous system.

• reduction in stress levels,
• healthy skin,
• It may help in losing weight or weight management.

If you feel the positive effects of the B12 injection then you can start to take it on a regular basis, some people opt for 1 or 2 times a week while others 1 or 2 times a month. You should be able to gauge how often your body needs a boost.

Can you overdose Vitamin B12? Vitamin B12 is a fairly non-toxic substance that is unlikely to cause problems in cases of an overdose. Even so, if you happen to overdose on vitamin B12, it is a good idea to seek immediate medical attention.

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