All You Ever Wanted To Know About Vitamin B12 - Condensed

What Is Vitamin B12 And It’s Benefits

Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin in the B complex family that plays a key role in the normal functionality of the brain, nervous system and for the formation of blood itself. As one of eight  B vitamins normally involved in the metabolism of each and every cell in the body, especially effecting DNA synthesis and regulation, fatty acid synthesis and energy production it is a very critical vitamin to our overall health. Vitamin B12 is considered to have the largest and most complex chemical structure of all the vitamins; it is unique among vitamins in that it contains a metal ion – cobalt.

Awareness of vitamin B12 originally came from its relationship to a disease called pernicious anemia which is an autoimmune disease that destroys parietal cells in the stomach which normally secrete intrinsic factor causing a disruption in the normal absorption of vitamin B12, and ergo a deficiency of the vitamin. Many other more subtle types of vitamin B12 have been found since the discovery of the relationship between pernicious anemia and the vitamin.

Natural Sources Of Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is naturally found in products that come from animals such as meat, fish, milk and eggs. Accordingly this causes concern for People who are vegan or vegetarian as the vitamin B12 in plant based foods is likely to be unavailable and as such should not be relied upon as safe sources of the vitamin due to B12 analogues competing with B12 and inhibiting the metabolism of the nutrient. Most vegans take great care to supplement their diets accordingly and to utilize vitamin B12 fortified foods including some soy products and some breakfast cereals as well as vitamin B12 supplements.

Vitamin B12 is found in food sources that come from animals including fish, meat, poultry, milk, milk products and eggs:

• Steamed clams, 3 oz = 84 mcg
• Steamed mussels 3 oz = 20.4mcg
• Steamed crab, 3 oz = 8.8 mcg
• Baked salmon, 3 oz =  2.4 mcg
• Baked rockfish, 3 oz = 1.0 mcg
• Cooked beef, 3 oz = 2.1 mcg
• Roasted chicken, 3 oz = 0.3 mcg
• Roasted turkey, 3 oz = 0.3 mcg
• Poached egg, 1 large = 0.6 mcg
• Skim milk, 8 oz = 0.9 mcg
• Brie cheese, 1 oz = 0.5 mcg

The current recommended daily allowance for Vitamin B12 was updated in 1998 by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the Institute of Medicine. Due to the increased risk of food-bound Vitamin B12 malabsorption in older adults the FNB recommended that adults over the age of 50 years of age get most of the daily intake from fortified food or vitamin B12 supplements.

The basic current recommended daily allowances are as follows:

Is Vitamin B12 Deficiency Possible

Even though Vitamin B12 is normally involved in the metabolism of every cell in the body, the effects of vitamin B12 can be replaced by sufficient quantities of folic acid, which is another member of the Vitamin B family, since B12 is used to regenerate folate in the body. Most B12 deficiency symptoms are actually folate deficiency symptoms. Deficient symptoms include all the effects of pernicious anemia and megaloblastosis which are due to poor synthesis of DNA when the body does not have a sufficient supply of folic acid for the production of thymine. Once a sufficient supply of folic acid is readily available for absorption all known B12 related deficiency syndromes normalize excepting those narrowly connected with the Vitamin B12 dependent enzymes.

Deficiency of Vitamin B12 can potentially cause severe and often times irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system. In fact an even slightly lower than appropriate levels, a range of symptoms such as fatigue, depression and memory loss can manifest, even though the symptoms are too nonspecific to be easily diagnosed to the deficiency of the vitamin. Mania and psychosis are also symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 deficiency also has the following pathomorphology and symptoms:

• A spongiform state of neural tissue along with edema of fibers accompanied by a deficiency of tissue. In this case the myelin decays along with axial fiber, leading to fibric sclerosis of the nervous tissue and eventually causing degeneration of the spinal cord.
• In the brain itself the changes brought on by deficiency are less sever, occurring as small sources of nervous fibers decay and the accumulation of astrocytes usually subcortically located along with round hemorrhages with a torus of glial cells. Pathological changes are also noted in the posterior roots of the spinal cord and to a lesser extent in the peripheral nerves.

Clinical symptoms for Vitamin B12 deficiency include:

• Biermer’s disease (pernicious anemia) which is characterized by anemia with bone marrow promegaloblastosis; gastrointestinal symptoms and neurological symptoms.
• The neurological complex defined ad myelosis funicularis consists of  impaired perception of deep touch, vibration, pressure and the loss of sense of touch; very annoying persistent paresthesias; ataxia of the dorsal cord; loss of deep touch muscle-tendon reflexes; pathological reflexes – Babinski, Rossolimo and other as well as sever paresis.
• During the course of the disease mental disorder can occur including irritability, focus/concentration issues; depression with suicidal tendencies; paraphrenia complex. These symptoms may not always reverse after correction of the deficiency and the chance of complete reversal diminishes with the length of time that the neurological symptoms have been present.

Absorption rates of Vitamin B12 can be negatively impacted by alcohol use and many prescription drugs as well as potassium supplements; large doses of folic acid can often mask vitamin B12 deficiency as well.

Is Supplementation Necessary

People who suffer from pernicious anemia require vitamin B12 supplementation. Older people should also be getting most of their vitamin B12 from supplements. In addition vegetarians and vegans should also consider vitamin B12 supplementation or foods fortified with vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 supplements are readily available in the form of pills, capsules, liquid, nasal spray or injections. Most multi-vitamins also contain some vitamin B12. It is important to note that when supplementing B12 it is often best to take it in combination with vitamin B6 and folic acid (i.e. B complex).

Side Effects Of Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 side effects are extremely unlikely. There have been cases of people experiencing allergic reactions to B12 injections, but these were just as likely to have been cause by the preservatives employed in that form of vitamin B12.

Final Thoughts

The intake and absorption of Vitamin B12 is absolutely critical for overall health and wellness with no particular toxicity, it is readily available as a supplement in many processed and fortified foods and also in vitamin pill form including fortified multi vitamins. It can be supplemented also in the form of strip, liquid, nasal spray or injection as well in combination with other supplements. This is a great consideration for most people as it is very hard to tell that you are getting an adequate amount in your normal dietary intake.