Natural Sources of Vitamin B12

admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:04:15 +0000

Vitamin B12 is a truly exceptional vitamin, unique even among all the other B vitamins present in nature. The reason for this uniqueness lies in the fact that only smaller amounts of this vitamin is required and the body already makes full use of it. For instance, ten micrograms of B12 spread over a day seems to be able to provide adequate supply for the body to use.

Vitamin B12 is also called cobalamin owing to the fact that it contains the metal, cobalt. The main benefit of vitamin B12 appears to be promoting and maintaining the normal function of healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. Vitamin B12 is also needed to help make DNA, the genetic material in all cells.

Vitamin B12 is bound to the protein in food so the most likely vitamin B12 food sources are foods rich in proteins and amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. When you consume vitamin B12 food sources, the vitamin is released from the food through a reaction caused by the hydrochloric acid released by the stomach. During digestion and once it is released from the vitamin B12 food sources, the vitamin combines with a substance called gastric intrinsic factor (IF). This complex can then be absorbed by the intestinal tract.

What other foods contain vitamin B12?

Specific examples of vitamin B12 food sources include animal foods such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Another good vitamin B12 food source is fortified breakfast cereals, which is a particularly valuable source of vitamin B12 for vegetarians. Because plants and vegetables can never be considered as vitamin B12 food sources, vegetarians stand more chance of suffering from deficiency of this vitamin. To compensate for the loss, vitamin B12 food sources fortified with the vitamin are made available for them.

Other vitamin B12 food sources are mollusks and clams (mixed species, cooked). Three ounces of these contain as much as 84.1 micrograms of vitamin B12, equivalent to 1400 Daily Value (DV).

One slice of braised liver or beef is also a good vitamin B12 food source, containing as much as 47.9 micrograms of vitamin B12, equivalent to 780 DV. Trout, rainbow, salmon, sockeye, and fortified breakfast cereals have vitamin B12 ranging from 6.0 to 2.4 micrograms.

Even fast food, such as cheeseburger and taco, contains a good amount of vitamin B12. And yogurt, haddock, tuna, milk, pork, egg, American pasteurized cheese food, and chicken contain vitamin B12 as well.

By: Antwan Richardson

Which Foods Contain Vitamin B12?

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:20:01 +0000

As an essential B vitamin, vitamin B12 is of special interest to vegetarians, not only because it is required by the body but because it is not found in any significant amounts in plant foods. In fact, the only food high in vitamin B12 appears to be mollusks and clams, red meat, some species of fish, eggs, and the like.

A deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to several conditions ranging from light to serious because lack of vitamin B12 causes detrimental changes in certain body functions. Perhaps the primary benefit of vitamin B12 lies in the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates, although the vitamin also plays a significant role in the metabolism of red blood cells.

Vitamin B12 also helps promote the maintenance of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerve cells to protect them from damage. Thus, vitamin B12 deficiency often leads to asthma, anemia, and neurological disturbances, such as senile dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

How can you prevent vitamin B12 deficiency?

The most obvious solution to preventing vitamin B12 deficiency is to eat food high in vitamin B12. Countless reports from around the world show that many long-term vegetarians (vegetarians who do not use any eggs, meat, fish, poultry, or dairy products) are especially susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiency. Since they cannot eat the regular food high in vitamin B12 that other people eat, they often resort to supplements.

Besides lack of adequate consumption of food high in vitamin B12, another factor that may lead to a deficiency in this vitamin is lack of adequate absorption. Despite the fact that the body does not need to consume a lot of food high in vitamin B12, the vitamin is actually difficult to absorb. For this reason, even with a diet of food high in vitamin B12, people may still suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency.

Poor absorption of the vitamins found in food high in vitamin B12 can be due to an underlying conditions, including a lack of B12 in diet because of poor food selections, a lack of intrinsic factor secretion due to aging, gastritis, or the partial removal of the stomach by surgery (gastrectomy), lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, especially in the elderly, or ileal resection or ileitis.

Although vitamin B12 is made by bacteria and fungi, they are not normally found in yeasts or higher plants. Most of the friendly bacteria reside in large quantities in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals and humans and because of this, food high in vitamin B12 are mostly meat products.

By: Antwan Richardson

Vitamin Benefits » Mollusks

Natural Sources of Vitamin B12

Which Foods Contain Vitamin B12?