Vitamin b12 is an essential part of our diet that helps in the formation of red blood cells and maintenance of the nervous system

Vitamin b12 is found in foods such as meat, eggs and dairy products and is part of the B complex vitamins. It is believed that a few plants such as seaweed and algae may also be vitamin sources, but that human digestive systems cannot access it so plants are currently not a good source of the vitamin. Those on vegan diets or who are vegetarians should either take supplements or find foods that have been supplemented with B12.

The human body only needs very small amounts in the diet to maintain good health. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults and children is approximately 1.5 micrograms (mcg) of B12 per day. However, for teenagers, pregnant women and those suffering from anemia the recommended dosage is closer to 3.0 mcg per day.

A deficiency in b12 can result in anemia and prolonged deficiency can result in irreversible nerve break down and neurological damage. Vitamin b12 deficiency causes symptoms such as poor resistance to infection, sleepiness, and breathlessness, because the normal process of cell division is disrupted. The most common reason for these symptoms is not because the body is not receiving enough b12 in the diet, but rather the body can’t absorb the b12 from the intestine. In this case, the symptoms described above will begin to show themselves within three years, which is approximately the amount of time it will take to use up the stored reserves of the vitamin. For vegans or those who don’t receive b12 in their diet it can take up to 20 years before any sign of deficiency is found because of reabsorption.

Vitamin B12 is very low in toxicity so having extra b12 in your system is not dangerous. For this reason many people opt to take supplements. Having a sufficient store of vitamin b12 can provide numerous benefits such as increased energy, and promotion of growth and appetite in children. Multiple studies have also found that elderly people with neurological problems have great improvement in cognition when taking b12 supplements. This is due to the fact that the elderly can’t absorb b12 bound to food as well as they can the vitamin form of b12.