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Last Updated: Jun 13, 2020
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Vitamin B12 - How Important Is It For Good Health?

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Dt. Rashmi SharmaDietitian/Nutritionist • 18 Years Exp.Post Graduate In Food Science & Nutrition
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Studies show that approx. 40% of the U.S population suffers from B-12 levels that are extremely low. With low B-12 levels, your brain doesn’t work quite right and you might suffer from chronic fatigue. But vitamin B-12 does more than just supporting healthy energy levels. It benefits your mood, heart, memory, skin, hair, digestion and more. 

Because of its wide-reaching roles within the body, a vitamin B12 deficiency can turn up in various negative symptoms, many of which can be noted very easily, such as chronic stress, fatigue, mood disorders like depression, and feeling run down. Vitamin B-12 complex functionality is mirrored in its plethora of health benefits-

  1. It is responsible for the conversion of raw carbohydrate matter that enters into the body in the form of food into glucose that is the driving energy for the body. Therefore, in a way it helps to keep the continuity of energy production in the human body and its deficiency, therefore, can lead to fatigue or weakness.
  2. Every single nature of human cells is related to the DNA and RNA that define the genetics and hereditary factors of a human body. Vitamin B12 assists in the creation of this DNA and RNA.
  3. Vitamin B12 also helps in the production of nerve cells in the human body by maintaining the covering of the nerve cells or neurons known as the myelin sheaths. This helps to free the body from the reach of toxins and free radicals that can be very harmful to the human body. Hence, any shortage of vitamin B12 can damage the nerve cells in a considerable manner.
  4. The bones of the human body need vitamin B12 as well and any deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause osteoporosis and other bone issues.
  5. Vitamin B12 in association with another vitamin known as vitamin B9 (folate or folic acid) helps in the manufacture of red blood cells that help in impressive iron functioning, which is the main oxygen carrier of the human blood. Quite evidently, its deficiency can lead to shortness of breath and other breathing disorders.
  6. Even heart requires an adequate amount of vitamin B12 along with vitamin B6 and vitamin B9 so that appropriate levels of amino acid named homocysteine are produced that is a deciding factor in heart diseases.
  7. Vitamin B12 is an essential component affecting the brain health too, and any deficiency of vitamin B12 can often lead to various brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and the like.

Above all, vitamin B12 is vital for keeping an individual happy and healthy by revitalising the body cells and making him or her feel youthful and vibrant all the time. 

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