Posted on 22nd Jan 2011 @ 12:06 PM

Vitamin B12 Supplements

In today’s health and image conscious world we are all aware that we should follow a well balanced diet to maintain a good body inside and out. Well balanced means we should eat regularly from all the food groups to ensure we get the full range of nutrients that we need. Nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, trace elements, minerals and vitamins. Vitamins are often termed as being one of the building blocks for life and in the case of B12, nothing could be truer. It plays an essential role in key functions of the body and vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms can indicate a serious problem.

What is vitamin B12?

B12, one of the 8 making up the B group which are mainly concerned with cell metabolism, is a water soluble vitamin meaning it is carried around the body in water compared to others which are fat soluble. Some can be stored in the liver but much is excreted in urine. Vitamin B12 is also called cobalamin and is also referred to as the energy vitamin. For most of us though it is enough to know what Vitamin B12 does, why we need it, how we get it and importantly how to recognise vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms.

Why is it vitamin B12 important?

Simplistically, B12 is needed to make red blood cells and DNA and to keep nerve cells healthy.  It works in tandem with folic acid, another key life nutrient, in converting food to energy. Foods that are a source of B12 are eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk, and milk products. By playing a key role in the functions of DNA, blood and the central nervous system it can be surmised that if you recognise signs of being deficient you should act upon it.

The Symptoms of Being B12 Deficient

It can take up to 5/6 years for Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms to manifest themselves.  They are grouped as either physical or neurological (non-physical). You may get some, a combination or all of these symptoms. Physically, you might be short of breath, feel dizzy, have pale skin, suffer poor circulation (evidenced by cold feet and hands) and have chest pains. You might suffer frequent, sometimes sever headaches and this list is joined by confusion, poor concentration, memory issues, insomnia, irritability and depression.

These symptoms might be seen more in older people: Vitamin B12 is mainly absorbed through the gastro-intestinal tract and this becomes less efficient with age.  Confusingly, Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms are the same as those seen with senile dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. These last two are deemed incurable but a lack of B12 can be easily treated by a change of diet or with a course of nutritional supplements.

Vitamin B12 supplements

B12 supplements are readily and widely available because their importance is recognised. It is common in a supplement that is a combined dose of lots of minerals and vitamins – sold as multi-vitamin- but if you display Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms and it is these you are trying to address then you need a single B12 specific supplement.

Nutritional supplements should ideally be used as such – a supplement not a prime source of the nutrient it is delivering - but there are occasions when it is needed because it is required quickly or another source is not available. For example, being exclusively resourced from meat products, vegetarians will not receive B12 from their normal diet.