One of the eight B vitamins, vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient that is vital to the body’s overall wellbeing. It contains the element of cobalt and as a result one of the formal or scientific names for vitamin B12 is “cobalamin”. Unlike many vitamins, B12 is not found in animals or plants. In fact, it is exclusively produced by bacteria. When animals consume plants or drink water contaminated by these specific bacteria, the vitamin ends up being stored in their body, mostly in the liver.
Vitamin B12 assists the body in more ways than one – although one of the key functions it performs is to help in the making of red blood cells. These cells help deliver oxygen to the body’s vital organs, including the heart and brain. This oxygen is important in providing you with the necessary energy to get through each day. Vitamin B12 also assists in white blood cell production, which is crucial to keeping the immune system strong, which in turn keeps the body healthy.
Another way vitamin B12 benefits the body is by properly maintaining the nervous system and helping to keep nerve cells healthy, which keeps the brain functioning the way it should. The B12 vitamin also assists in the creation and regulation of DNA, which is present in every cell in the body. Since this nutrient is also a very powerful antioxidant, it helps fight off free radicals which researchers have said can lead to cancer.
Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient that everyone should have in their diet – it can be found in meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. If your lifestyle does not permit some of these B12 rich foods, it’s important to take a supplement that will top up your daily requirement. By making sure you do have enough vitamin B12 in your body, you can avoid permanent nerve damage with associated symptoms like pins and needles, numbness, tingling, memory loss, attention deficit disorder, depression, dizziness, fatigue and mood swings.
By: jeremypotter
Archive for November, 2009
Vitamin B12 – What You Need to Know
November 20th, 2009The Autism B12 Vitamin Connection?
November 19th, 2009There are many different types of treatments that parents can try when they have a child with autism, however some can be controversial. Autism B12 vitamin therapy seems simple and safe enough, but it is important to be aware that problems may arise if it is administered improperly.
Perhaps the biggest danger in utilizing B12 vitamin therapy for the treatment of autism is the possibility of an overdose.
We all need vitamins, but is wrong to assume that these vitamins are safe no matter how they are used. Though vitamins are indeed good for us, with many being essential for optimum health, they can be dangerous too; particularly when someone takes too many.
The majority of the vitamins and minerals we need are obtained from a healthy varied diet. However when there is a deficiency in certain minerals or vitamins it is possible to supplement them.
The risk of taking supplements is that too much of a good thing can actually be harmful to health. When the body has an oversupply of vitamins that it can not use it excretes the excess via the liver. When excess vitamin consumption occurs on a regular basis, the liver may not keep up and the excess vitamin may then become a toxin that the body is unable to expel.
When taken in correct doses however, B12 vitamin therapy may be beneficial for a child with autism. Some believe that autism can be caused or symptoms worsened by severe nutritional deficiencies.
What this means is that the body is not receiving enough of certain vitamins, or that it is not able to absorb the nutrients that are fed through the system; causing the body to lack the essential elements it needs to function properly.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin for healthy brain function. It is important in helping to manufacture the myelin sheath – a protective layer surrounding nerves in the brain – and it also helps the brain to produce neurotransmitters, which are vital for communication within the brain.
When taken intravenously, some feel that vitamin B12 therapy can improve a range of functions including the absorption of all essential nutrients into the body. This then helps the nervous system to work as it should, allowing potential benefits and improvements in behaviors to be seen.
On a cautionary note, so far, many positive stories about the improvement in individuals after receiving B12 vitamin therapy are still only anecdotal. While parents and individual doctors have noted some encouraging progress, there have only been a handful of controlled studies involving small groups of children regularly injected with vitamin B12. Though some have shown improvement in social communication, overall the results have deemed to be inconclusive.
Therefore, while formal tests are still in the early stages, if carried out safely, there is no reason why parents cannot try this autism B12 vitamin therapy under their doctor’s close supervision and guidance. Even if there seems to be no improvement in the symptoms of autism, parents may notice better overall health in their children, and that may be reason enough to continue safely with the ther
By: Rachel Evans
Take Vitamins For Energy
November 19th, 2009The modern world has become so busy that people are constantly facing pressures and challenges. It is not surprising that lack of zest and energy is a common complaint among young people. The older ones also go through bodily changes that make them susceptible to stresses and fatigue. These are reasons why taking vitamins for energy is becoming a common alternative for most people.
Vitamins can help give energy to the person. It can boost your present energy level so that you get to perform your everyday tasks. Thus, it is very important for you to get your right vitamin supplement to ensure that you have what it takes to boost your lifestyle.
Take the Right Vitamins for Added Energy
You can take health supplements to give your body the energy it will need. However, it is not enough to simply grab hold of the vitamins that you will find in the market. You have to make sure that your health supplement of choice will give you the right energy boost.
It is best to focus your efforts into getting Vitamin B. The Vitamin B-complex is the right choice for a good energy boost. This complex is composed of eight vitamins. The ones included in the list are Vitamin B1 or thiamine, Vitamin B2 or riboflavin, Vitamin B3 or niacin, Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, Vitamin B9 or folic acid, Vitamin B12 or cyanocobalamin, biotin and pantothenic acid. Your body needs everything in this B-complex in order to properly support your energy boosting needs.
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 or Thiamin is the key to increase your metabolism. This is good in processing your food intake, particularly if you drink alcohol. This will also help improve your immune system.
Vitamin B2
Riboflavin is a key factor to ensure your body will not be susceptible to fatigue. This also helps in avoiding anemia. Increasing the amount of riboflavin in your body will also increase the production of energy.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3 or niacin helps in energy production but it is especially useful in treating diseases that involve high cholesterol levels. This helps one overcome risks to heart disease. It is also perfect for people who have neurological conditions and need to overcome such.
Vitamin B5
This is a good option if you want to counter stress. It can boost your energy at a different level.
Vitamin B12
This Vitamin B12 is the key to overcome fatigue by ensuring that the red blood cells are at their best condition.
Getting the Benefits of Vitamins for Energy
You can normally get Vitamin B from a wide range of food choices to be able to enjoy its benefits. However, even if you include such healthy foods in the diet, you can still be prone to deficiency of this energy vitamin because it can be easily taken out of your system. B-vitamins are water-soluble, therefore they cannot be retained long inside your body. As such, taking Vitamin B supplements is really the best option for you.
Conclusion
Taking vitamins for energy boost will surely help any person to cope with the pressures and challenges that can confront one in every day. Thus, make sure you get the right vitamins to supplement your energy needs. This way, you can dutifully perform your task at school or at work with still enough energy to spend quality time with your family and friends.
By: Mario Churchill
