12 B Vitamin
What Is 12 B Vitamin And What Are The Risks &
Causes Of Deficiency?
The 12B vitamin is one of the important B vitamins that are
vital to maintain a healthy body. Usually known as Cobalamin,
the 12B Vitamin is necessary for the processes to turn the
carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy. More
importantly, 12 B helps to keep the red blood cells healthy
and hence prevent heart disease and keep our immune system
functioning at its greatest level. Additionally, 12 B is used
to generate the protective layer of all nerve cells in the
body.
However, the most important role of 12 B is to build healthy
red blood cells and all cells require 12 B to keep them healthy.
It is the white blood cells that need 12 B to help make sure
that the immune system working properly. The protective fatty
layer of all the nerve cells in the body also needs 12 B to
form. This is necessary for all of the nerves but is especially
so for those in the brain. When there is a deficiency of 12
B to create this protective layer, our brains will not function
properly.
Although we need little 12 B in our body, but we need it
on a regulat basis. But, 12 B on its own is not enough as
our body cannot absorb it easily. Therefore, our stomach produces
intrinsic factor which helps our body to absorb 12 B better.
12 B can only be found in animal foods for instance liver,
eggs, fish and meat but most people tend to consume far more
than their recommended daily amount of 12 B.
This usually will not be an issue since our body can only
absorb about half of the 12 B that is consumed. It is also
worth noting that the body can recycle the 12 B which cuts
down on the impact of a 12 B deficiency. On the other hand,
strict vegetarians should consume 12 B supplements since they
do not eat any animal products that contain 12 B.
When our body does not have adequate 12 B then we might probably
have anaemia. Apparently, the reason of anaemia is due to
the fact that there is not enough 12 B to produce healthy
red blood cells. Anaemia can also be caused by the body not
creating enough intrinsic factor to help absorb the 12 B from
our food consumed. Our body tends to produce less intrinsic
factor once a person reaches 50 and this will lead to less
12 B being absorbed and hence supplements of 12 B may be required.
Not only are the adults, even the kids are also at risk
from anemia because they may not eat the food that contain
12 B all the time. As for the pregnant women need more 12
B because the baby is absorbing 12 B during the pregnancy
to grow properly.
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