Vitamin B12, one of the most complex and vital nutrients!Vitamin B12 was discovered simultaneously by researchers in the United States and England in the 1930's. Scientists were trying to isolate the active ingredient in liver that helped patients with pernicious anemia that was often fatal.
In 1956 English physicist Dorothy Hodgkin mapped the structure of the B12 molecule and it was finally synthesized in 1971. Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease with symptoms including fatigue, weakness, lightheadedness and paleness. Since the body does not produce B12, it must come from your diet. If you lack certain cells that absorb the vitamin, you will over time become deficient in B12 and develop the disease.
> Since it's the most complex vitamin, this one's easier to become deficient in. > The only vitamin that contains essential mineral elements like cobalt. > It is water soluble and needs replaced daily. > It is known as the red vitamin, you can see the red in the liquid supplement form. > Oral vitamin B12 supplementation has been shown to be as effective as the painful B12 injections. > The oral supplementation corrects serum B12 and hemoglobin levels (the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen). > Liquid supplementation is absorbed in the mucosa membranes in your mouth. > Taking B12 in a tablet form works better if it's a slow release tablet.
Vitamin B12 is needed for: * Healthy red blood cell formation in the bone marrow * Metabolism of the cells in your body * DNA replication * Production of SAMe (which affects your mood) * Fertility and pregnancy * Building immunity * Some degenerative diseases * People with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and osteoarthritis * Mental and nervous disorders * Improving learning abilities * To boost energy * Counteract allergens * Nervous system function, the production of myelin, a fatty substance in the sheath that covers the nerves What it does: Relieves irritability Improves concentration, memory, balance
Promotes normal growth development Binding with calcium for utilization Properly utilizes fats, carbs, and protein Production of neurotransmitters May help just before and during menstruation Melatonin rhythm helps from sleep disturbances When your tests show that you are at a normal range, you can be low in B12. A more sensitive and accurate method of screening for B12 deficiency is measuring serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels. A study done at the Oxford University in England found that when senior citizens were low in B12, they were at risk of brain shrinkage (atrophy). Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive losses studies have shown that the brain had been shrinking over a time before diagnosed and had low levels of B12. Deficiency in vitamin B12: Can lead to serious and irreversible-damage health problems Nerve damage, weak muscles, depression, memory problems, fatigue, anemia, stunted growth in children The absorption of B12 becomes more difficult as we get older. It is one of the most common vitamin inadequacies among the elderly. Symptoms can have you feeling tired and fatigued. Chronic inflammation of the stomach breaks down the stomach lining and leads to poor B12 absorption Hearing loss Cognitive dysfunction, frontal lobe and language function Mania and psychosis Systemic lupus erythematosus The effects of B12 deficiency now show elevation of homocysteine in blood and urine, this could affect the arteries in clotting like you see in aging and atherosclerosis A more sensitive and accurate method of screening for B12 deficiency is measuring serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels.
B12 deficiency levels affect your: * Taste buds * Adrenals * Calcium deficiency and calcium deposits * Coordination * Dehydration * Body odor * Dermatitis * Diabetes type II * Cystic fibrosis * Heart palpitations * Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) 
A study was done with people who were deficient in B12 with spinal cord injuries. 75% of them reported that when they were taking a Vitamin B12 supplement, there was an improvement in gait, mood, memory, strength, reduced pain and numbness and a reversal of anemia. We do not absorb B12 from plant foods. Vegetarians can be deficient if dairy and eggs are not consumed in their diet. If you are low in B1 and high in folic acid, it can hide a B12 deficiency. If you eat a lot of protein, B12 can aid in digestion.
What can interfere with B12: > Anti-gout drugs > Anticoagulant drugs > Acid-blocking agent > Antibiotics > Potassium supplements > Smoking tobacco products > Acid and alkalies > Water and sunlight > Alcohol consumption > Estrogen, contraceptives > Sleeping pills If you don’t have a properly functioning thyroid gland, you could have poor B12 absorption. It may take up to 5 years to show the signs that your body has ran out of B12. 
Food sources for this supplement include: Liver and shellfish There are no known toxicity levels in taking B12, even in large doses. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for an adult is 2 to 3 micrograms per day. The RDA for vitamin B12 in pregnant women is 2.6 micrograms per day and 2.8 micrograms during lactation periods. It is recommended that adults 51 and older take B12. Vitamin B12 is one of the most complex and important nutrients in the vitamin group. Since it can take a long time for symptoms to show, and as we get older it's more difficult to absorb the vitamin, I think we should pay close attention to everything I listed above pertaining to this vital and significant supplement for your body.
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