Vitamin B12 Role
Vitamin B12 plays a key role in many aspects of health and may support bone health, red blood cell formation, energy levels, and mood. Eating a nutritious diet or taking a supplement can help ensure you’re meeting your needs.
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is an essential vitamin that plays important role for body needs but cannot produce
It’s found naturally in animal products, but also added to certain foods and available as an oral supplement or injection.
Vitamin B12 has many roles in your body. It supports the normal function of your nerve cells and is needed for red blood cell formation and DNA synthesis.
For most adults, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 2.4 micrograms (mcg), though it’s higher for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Vitamin B12 may benefit your body in impressive ways, such as by boosting your energy, improving your memory, and helping prevent heart disease.
Red Blood Cells
Vitamin B12 plays a vital role in helping your body produce red blood cells.Low vitamin B12 levels cause a reduction in red blood cell formation and prevent them from developing properly.
Healthy red blood cells are small and round, whereas they become larger and typically oval in cases of vitamin B12 deficiency. Due to this larger and irregular shape, the red blood cells are unable to move from the bone marrow into the bloodstream at an appropriate rate, causing megaloblastic anemia.
When you have anemia, your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to transport oxygen to your vital organs. This can cause symptoms like fatigue and weakness.
Prevent major birth defects
Adequate vitamin B12 levels are crucial to a healthy pregnancy.Studies show that a fetus’s brain and nervous system require sufficient B12 levels from the mother to develop properly.
Vitamin B12 deficiency in the beginning stages of pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, such as neural tube defects. Furthermore, maternal vitamin B12 deficiency may contribute to premature birth or miscarriage.
One older study found that females with vitamin B12 levels lower than 250 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) were three times more likely to give birth to a child with birth defects, compared to those with adequate levels.
For females with a vitamin B12 deficiency and levels below 150 mg/dL the risk was five times higher, compared to those with levels above 400 mg/dL.
Support bone health
Maintaining adequate vitamin B12 levels may support your bone health.
Bones with decreased mineral density can become delicate and fragile over time, leading to an increased risk of osteoporosis.
Other studies have also shown a link between low vitamin B12 levels and poor bone health and osteoporosis or fracture risk.
Reduce risk of macular degeneration
Macular degeneration is an eye disease that mainly affects your central vision.
Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin B12 may help prevent the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Researchers believe that supplementing with vitamin B12 may lower levels of homocysteine, a type of amino acid that is found in your bloodstream.
Elevated homocysteine levels have been associated with an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration.
May Improve mood
Vitamin B12 may improve your mood. The effect of vitamin B12 on mood is not yet fully understood. However, this vitamin plays a vital role in synthesizing and metabolizing serotonin, a chemical responsible for regulating mood.
Therefore, vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to decreased serotonin production, which can cause a depressed mood.
One older study in people with depression and vitamin B12 levels on the low side of normal found that those who received both antidepressants and vitamin B12 were more likely to show improved depressive symptoms, compared to those treated with antidepressants alone.
May benefit your brain
Vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with memory loss, especially in older adults.
The vitamin may play a role in preventing brain atrophy, which is the loss of neurons in the brain and often associated with memory loss or dementia.
Energy boost
Vitamin B12 supplements have long been touted as the go-to product for a surge of energy.
All B vitamins play an important role in your body’s energy production, though they don’t necessarily provide energy themselves.
Improve heart health
High blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
If you’re significantly deficient in vitamin B12, your homocysteine levels become elevated.
Studies have shown that vitamin B12 helps decrease homocysteine levels, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.
Supports healthy hair, skin, and nails
Given vitamin B12’s role in cell production, adequate levels of this vitamin are needed to promote healthy hair, skin, and nails.
In fact, low vitamin B12 levels can cause various dermatologic symptoms, including hyperpigmentation, nail discoloration, hair changes, vitiligo (the loss of skin color in patches), and angular stomatitis (inflamed and cracked mouth corners).
