Vitamin B12 - Food Sources, Supplements, Health Facts, Deficiency

MAIN Health Vitamins & Minerals Vitamin B12

In the B-complex arsenal, B12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. It's also needed to make DNA, the genetic material in all cells.

The powerhouse vitamin has been shown in studies to have been beneficial in the treatment of heart disease, helps fight confusion and memory loss, and in recent studies has shown beneficial in warding off brain shrinkage in the elderly, with possible connections to its deficiency with the ravages of alzeheimer's disease. Its deficiency is also tied to conditions such as diabetes, depression, anemia, and fatigue.

B12 is most commonly found in meat, poultry, milk and eggs, which is why vegetarians are often cautioned to add B12 as a supplement to their diets...

Vitamin B12
Fast Facts

Foods: Meat, fish, poultry, milk, eggs

What it's good for: helps maintain nerve cells and red blood cells. In research studies, may have a possible treatment role in heart disease, stroke risk, dimentia and other diseases.

Facts About Vitamin B12 - Systemic effects, good food sources, recommended dietary allowances, conditions that may lead to deficiency including pernicious anemia and a vegetarian diet, the relationship between B12, homocysteine and heart disease, and related references. Also available as a printable PDF file.

Vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) - Summaries of the latest research concerning B-12 and chronic disease syndrome, heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke risk, Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer and a variety of other conditions.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) - Overview, with research indicating its use in the treatment of heart disease, depression, osteoporosis, HIV/AIDS, male infertility and other conditions, plus good dietary sources, precautions and possible interactions, and supporting research.

Postgraduate Medicine: Approaches to vitamin B12 deficiency - Postgraduate paper on its function, the absorption process and conditions that affect it, symptoms and causes of deficiency, screening and diagnosis, and related references.

What Every Vegan Should Know About Vitamin B12 - Historical overview, recommended daily intake, symptoms of deficiency, with additional facts on the homocysteine connection, testing for B12 blood levels, recommended food sources and supplements, and related links to further information.

Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It? - Comprehensive information and related research for vegans addressing nutritional requirements for B12, homocysteine level concerns, digestion and absorption, coenzyme functions, B12 concerns in infancy and during pregnancy, B12 content of tempeh, seaweeds, organic produce, and other plant foods.

Vitamin B 12 Deficiency - Clinical manifestations, causes and symptoms, diagnosis, with a complete color diagram illustrating absorption and transport, discussion on therapy alternatives and follow-up, and related references.