Vitamin B12 Benefits

Vitamin B12 benefits are many. Its main function is in the formation of red blood cells and the maintenance of a healthy nervous system. Some recent research suggests that slightly higher than average levels of B12 or cobalamin can dramatically reduce the risk of brain shrinkage in elderly people or those over 60 years. Vitamin B12 also reduces the risk of atherosclerosis which is the hardening and narrowing of the arteries. This can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Other vitamin B12 benefits include elevating the mood, helping a person deal effectively with stress, and enhancing the immune system. B12 also aids in maintaining and increasing energy in the human body.

To get the fullness of vitamin B12 benefits, eat plenty of meat, eggs, fish, and cheese. You can also get B12 from whole grains found in some breakfast cereals. Research suggests that our bodies slowly become less efficient at absorbing B12 as we age. So if you are over 50 you may want to also take a dietary supplement that will ensure that you don't lack for vitamin B12 benefits or develop a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms

The human body stores from three to five years' worth of sufficient levels of vitamin B12 in the liver. The symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency can take months or even years to show up in adults. However, babies and small children will show the symptoms much sooner since they have not yet built up the liver's reserves.

Since babies and small children haven't had the time to build up their vitamin B12 reserves, it is imperative that a pregnant woman increases her intake of folate and foods that provide B12 in order to keep her newborn from having a vitamin B12 deficiency. A deficiency can lead to premature birth and spina bifida as well as other neural tube birth defects.

Certain cells in a newly developing embryo curl up and then their edges become fused together, forming a slender tube which is the foundation of the spinal cord and the brain and the tissues and bone that surround it. The neural tube is usually formed within 28 days from conception, and a woman might not even know yet, at that point, that she is pregnant. Therefore, nubile females should especially take advantage of getting their vitamin B12 benefits not only for their own sake but also for the sake of their child should they become pregnant without awareness.

In adults who have a vitamin B12 deficiency, the symptoms can include muscular weakness, shortness of breath, light-headedness, and dizziness. The sufferer may also become significantly more prone to getting ill, such as with catching colds, because vitamin B12 enhances the count and the efficiency of red blood cells which deliver oxygen to the cellular tissues.

In its absence the blood will start creating fewer but larger red blood cells, leading to a condition called macrocytic anemia. And, a deficiency of the vitamin may also be manifested by nerve damage that causes tingling or numbness in the limbs and extremities, and neurological damage that can lead to anything from chronic irritability to memory lapses to full-fledged dementia.

Other vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms include white spots on the skin, sores at the corner of the mouth, fatigue and in some cases, migraine headaches.

Vitamin B12 toxicity or overdose

So far there is no record of Vitamin toxicity. Vitamin B12 is a rather non-toxic substance and is not likely to cause problems in cases of an overdose.

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