Vitamin B12

What is vitamin B12 ?

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is well stored in the
body and is not affected by cooking.

What does Vitamin B12 do?

- It works in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract and nervous
system.

- It helps to make genetic material in new cells, and is needed to
make DNA.Vitamin B12 is involved in making nerves and
keeping them healthy, makes nerve cells, and involved in making
red blood cells.

- It works together with folic acid and vitamin B6 to reduce
homo cysteine levels.

Where is Vitamin B12 found?

Vitamin B12 is in all animal foods,especially salmon and eggs
but not in vegetable foods.

Strict vegan's get a little from soil bacteria on foods such as
mushrooms and from fermented foods, including nutritional
yeast, but can become deficient - this is a particular problem in
pregnancy and when breast feeding, and babies can be affected.

What happens if I don't get enough?

Insufficient amounts of Vitamin B12 can result in the following:

- Fatigue and weakness
- Constipation
- Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
- Anaemia and nerve problems can occur, or developmental
delay in babies.

Vegan mothers need to take B12 supplements.

Some people are unable to absorb B12 because they have little
stomach acid. This leads to a type of anaemia called pernicious
anaemia, and these people need injections of the vitamin.

The recommended daily dose is 6mcg. There is no know
toxicity, with no observed adverse effects at levels of 3000mcg.