Vitamin B12 – What is it, benefits, foods and deficiency!

Vitamin B12 , also known as Cobalamin, is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps turn fats and proteins from food into energy and works with folic acid to produce normal red blood cells. Like all proteins, vitamin B12 cannot be synthesized by our body and therefore it is necessary to get it through food.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan, pay close attention, however, there are no edible plants or plants containing Vitamin B12 . It is only found in foods of animal origin, especially in fish products such as octopus, sardines, trout or mackerel, or in offal.

Benefits of Vitamin B12:

1. Reduces tiredness and fatigue, giving you energy:

If you tend to feel tired or worn out during the day, especially in so-called transition seasons (like spring or fall), you probably don’t get enough vitamin B12 .
The properties in this regard of this particular vitamin are so beneficial that doctors all over the world even recommend it to patients suffering from chronic fatigue.

2. Contributes to normal cognitive and neurological functions:

Often, the aforementioned “fatigue” also leads to difficulties in concentration and memorization. Hours and hours spent on books or in front of the computer seem to be unproductive?
Here again, vitamin B12  helps us again.

3. Helps fight stress:

Stress and nervous tension can cause some annoying disorders that don’t allow you to live your days to the fullest. Busy life, work or study commitments, hours on the line, and busy days certainly don’t help reduce them.

B vitamins and in particular vitamin B12 , according to different studies, help to fight stress and nervous tension. A stressed or nervous person also tends to “consume” more proteins, so it becomes even more important to take them in the right amounts.

See that this happens very quickly and unconsciously thanks to the myelin sheath that manages to take this aggressive external information so quickly to our brain that you can’t even realize how and when it really happened. Vitamin B12 hypovitaminosis causes demyelination, that is, wear and tear of the myelin sheath, both in the white matter of the brain and in the peripheral nerves.

What is Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 (or cobalamin) is part of the so-called essential vitamins, which our bodies are unable to produce; is a water-soluble molecule that is commonly found in many foods of animal origin, such as

  1. fishes,
  2. seafood,
  3. carne,
  4. dairy products.

It is a nutrient of fundamental importance for the functioning of nerves and blood cells, also involved in the handling of DNA (genetic material present in cells).

What is it for?

When looking at the symptoms of vitamin B deficiency, it’s easy to understand what it’s for. When we don’t take enough time, we can notice some unpleasant signs: dry skin, acne, hair weakness, but also lack of appetite, insomnia and constipation.

The most common symptoms are loss of appetite, fatigue, irritability, in particular vitamin B6 deficiency can make us feel a feeling of numbness in the limbs, visual disturbances and difficulty concentrating. What they need most, then, is this B6, which protects the central nervous system, also vitamin B12  has a role: When lacking, pernicious anemia can appear that creates digestive problems and neurological syndromes.

Main sources of vitamin B12:

Vitamin B12  is found naturally in a wide range of animal foods, while it is not possible to consume it through consumption of plant foods, which are completely devoid of them (unless it has been industrially added).

You can ingest a sufficient amount of vitamin through a healthy, varied and balanced diet , but among the richest foods that we remember, for example:

Foods That Contain Vitamin B12Amount of Vitamin B12 in 100 gEnergy in 100 g
Boiled Liver Steak112 mcg169 calories
Non-Steamed Seafood99 mcg50 calories
Cooked Oysters27 mcg75 calories
Boiled Chicken Liver19 mcg136 calories
boiled heart14 mcg132 calories
Cooked Herring10 mcg228 calories
Cooked Crab9 mcg81 calories
Cooked Salmon2,8 mcg271 calories
Grilled Trout2,2 mcg118 calories

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms:

Useful links: 

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency  include a lack of sensation in the hands and feet, along with a loss of memory, lack of coordination when walking, insomnia, drowsiness, constipation and headache. In addition to all these indications, deficiency of this vitamin is characterized by depression, vision problems, tongue swelling, as well as neurological disorders and mouth pain. Additionally, a person suffering from a deficiency of this vitamin typically experiences weight loss, nausea, and fatigue.

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