Do you need Vitamin B12? Just how helpful is this vitamin and what does it do?

The amazing role of B12:

• Reduces homocysteine which in turn reduces cardiac risk

• Plays an important role in the production of energy from fats and proteins

• Supports in the production of red blood cells and the oxygen carrying ability of red blood cells

• Maintains healthy nerve cells

• Helps in the production of DNA and RNA – your body’s genetic material (still produced all the time we are alive as cells need to replace themselves)

• Supports healthy immune functioning

• Plays a role in maintaining a healthy mood

• May reduce the risk of breast cancer (with folate)

• Increases sperm counts

So who might need to supplement with B12?

•  Vegans, vegetarians who also don’t eat dairy or eggs — vitamin B12 is found only in animal products

• People with low stomach acid or problems absorbing nutrients due to conditions such as inflammatory bowel conditions (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis), pancreatic disease, people who have had weight loss surgery

• People with an infection of h. pylori in the stomach lining

• Those with HIV

• The elderly

• People with nervous system disorders

What kind is best to take?  There are 3 main forms: cyanocobalamin, hydroxycobalamin, and methylcobalamin.  Methylcobalamin is most easily absorbed and used.

What foods are rich in B12?  

• Clams, oysters and mussels, octopus, crab and lobster

• Wild salmon, tuna, caviar, mackerel, herring, sardines, trout

• Organic liver

• Beef

• Eggs

• Lamb

• Cheese

Want to learn more?