Why You Don't Want to Run Low On Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B12  is known as the “energy vitamin,” and it is essential for many critical functions in your body, including energy production,  supporting your immune system , and helping to regulate the formation of red blood cells.*  Recent studies from the US Framingham trial show that one in four adults in the US are deficient in this vitally important nutrient and nearly half of the population has suboptimal blood levels.

Vitamin B12 is present only in animal sources of food--which is one of the reasons I advise against being a strict vegetarian or a vegan. This deficiency can result in  less than optimal nervous system function, a tendency toward nervousness, and even less-than-optimal eye health.* 

How You Get Vitamin B12 Deficient

The older you get the more likely you are to have a vitamin B12 deficiency.  The two ways that you become deficient in vitamin B12 are from not getting enough in your diet and from losing the ability to absorb it.

I recently visited India which is primarily a vegetarian based culture and current studies there show about 80% of the adults are deficient in vitamin B12. However, vegans are  not the only ones who can become vitamin B12 deficient. 

The older you get the more your digestive system breaks down, especially if you have been following the standard American diet. Specifically the lining of your stomach gradually loses its ability to produce hydrochloric acid which releases vitamin B 12 from your food. The use of antacids or anti ulcer drugs will also lower your stomach acid secretion and decrease your ability to absorb vitamin B 12.  Infection with Helicobactor pylori, a common contributor to stomach ulcers, can also result in vitamin B12 deficiency.

However the main cause of vitamin B 12 deficiency is a term researchers call food-cobalamin malabsorption syndrome.  Cobalamin is the scientific term for vitamin B12.   This typically results when your stomach lining loses its ability to produce intrinsic factor which is a protein that binds to vitamin B12 and allows your body to absorb it at the end of your small intestine.

Source:  Dr. Mercola

Posted:  TrueHealthIsTrueWealth

Related Articles:  

Stop Shrinkage From Age Through Vitamin B12

Tuna and Eggs Keep Your Brain Big... Stop Shrinkage from Age Through B12

As if wrinkles weren’t bad enough, turns out our brains tend to shrivel as we age, too. Could eggs and tuna be the key to less shrinkage? 

Research makes it seem so. Why? Because both tuna and eggs are good sources of vitamin B12. And B12 may help keep brain atrophy in check. 

How Low Is Low?
In a 5-year study, people in their 60s and beyond who were low -- but not deficient -- on B12 were three to six times more likely to have brain atrophy than did people on the higher end of the normal B12 range. So being even a little low may be bad. Make sure you’re getting enough by taking a supplement or eating B12-rich foods -- like eggs and tuna. 

Why Bigger Is Better
Brain shrinkage is commonly seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease, and more and more research points to a connection between cognitive function and B12 levels. So that may explain the connection with brain shrinkage. B vitamins may help ward off stroke, too. 

Want to give your brain a workout?  Boost your verbal dexteity and exercise your mind with word and number games, crossword puzzles, and engaging & provoking conversation.

Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin. Water-soluble vitamins are stored in the body in very limited amounts and are excreted through the urine. Therefore, it is a good idea to have them in your daily diet. Vitamin B12, the most complex of the vitamins, contains the metal ion, cobalt, in its structure.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include the following:

• Pernicious or megaloblastic anemia
• Numbness and tingling of the arms or legs
• Difficulty walking
• Fatigue
• Sore tongue
• Loss of appetite
• Constipation
• Memory loss
• Disorientation
• Moodiness
• Damage to the myelin sheath, the protective covering around nerves
• Dementia

Here are tips to help increase your intake of vitamin B12:

• Rub a little olive oil, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon, and crack some black pepper and salt on a fresh piece of salmon. Grill on the barbeque or broil it in the oven.
• Have a bowl of fortified, high-fiber breakfast cereal in the morning.
• Mix canned tuna with some olive oil, white beans, and salt and pepper. Enjoy with some whole wheat crackers.
• For an afternoon snack, try a cup of yogurt. Jazz it up with some sliced fresh fruit or crunchy granola.
• Skewer large shrimp with mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, and zucchini. Brush on a marinade and toss on the barbeque.
• If you take a multivitamin/mineral supplement, make sure that it contains B12.

Major Food Sources

(Be Aware That Some of These Foods May Have Other Risks)

Food	Serving size	Vitamin B12 content  (mcg)
Clams, steamed	3 oz	84
Beef liver, cooked	3 oz	60
Mussels, steamed	3 oz	20.4
Fortified breakfast cereal	¾ cup	6
Rainbow trout, cooked	3 oz	5.3
Salmon, cooked	3 oz	4.9
Beef, cooked	3 oz	2.1
Milk	1 cup	0.9
Yogurt	1 cup	0.9
Egg	1 large	0.5
Brie cheese	1 oz	0.5
American cheese	1 oz	0.4
Chicken, roasted	3 oz	0.3

Related Articles:  Why You Don't Want to Run Low on Vitamin B12