Why Does My Body Need Vitamin B12?

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

06 Apr 2007 10:11 AM

Vitamin B12 is a little bit different from other vitamins. If you don't have a certain substance in your digestive system, you can't absorb vitamin B12!

Your stomach produces a substance called intrinsic factor. This substance has to be in the intestinal tract in pretty large amounts for your body to be able to absorb vitamin B12. If you don't have intrinsic factor in your digestive tract, you'll eventually develop a vitamin B12 deficiency called pernicious anemia.

Liver is probably the number one source for vitamin B12 -- but any and all animal foods contain this vitamin. In fact, people who don't eat meat or animal products (like vegetarians and vegans) are some of the folks at highest risk for pernicious anemia. But just because you eat meat doesn't mean you're safe from a vitamin B12 deficiency; some people are just born without the intrinsic factor in their digestive systems. Just because you ingest the vitamin doesn't mean you'll be able to absorb and use it.

So what does vitamin B12 do for you? This is a vitamin that is useful in fighting all kinds of diseases at all stages of life.

• Children with asthma may benefit from vitamin B12 therapy. Studies show that daily oral supplements or weekly injections can reduce the frequency episodes of breathing difficulty.
• Vitamin B12 helps your body produce melatonin -- the hormone that helps you get a good night's sleep.
• Vitamin B12 can help increase sperm counts in some men.
• People with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) are often deficient in vitamin B12. Adding a supplement can help diminish the sensation of ringing.
• In laboratory tests, vitamin B12 reduces the replication of HIV. AIDS patients often are low in vitamin B12. Is there a connection? Studies are underway.
• Older adults with declining mental function -- even the start of Alzheimer's disease -- find that vitamin B12 can help improve mental clarity.
• In older adults, vitamin B12 can help work with the brain to produce serotonin -- a neurotransmitter that helps maintain a calm feeling of well-being.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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katesbirdworld (625) 02 Aug 2007 01:57 PM

I have a B12 Defiency. I have to get a B12 shot every two weeks. Thats interesting that it helps put seratonin back in the brain because I have a low seratonin level.

jennjamess (20) 12 Jun 2008 07:48 AM

I found out I had pernicious anemia last year at 29 years old. I received lots of injections to get my B12 levels back up and will now give myself one injection a month for the rest of my life. I have been to all sort of doctors for all these crazy problems, nerves, neurological, skin disorders, major digestive problems, and on and on. No one really seems to know that much about pernicious anemia or seem to take it more seriously than replacing low B12. I have found that bee pollen taken everyday has done miracles for my digestion issues and my overall health... and feeling healthy!