Vitamin B 12

vitamin b 12 is one of the top B vitamins that people need to have in their diet. Because it is involved in the production of red blood cells, a lack of vitamin b 12 can bring about many different forms of anemia. There are also a number of vitamin b 12 anemic situations can lead to permanent brain damage.

The good news is that as long as you eat meat with any kind of regularity, even simply once a week, you are probably getting plenty of vitamin B 12 in your diet. Even if you are a vegetarian, simply eating any food source derived from animals will provide you with some of this essential nutrient. For example, products such as eggs, cheese, dairy products, or any number of fortified cereals and soy products offer plenty of vitamin B 12.

Vegans or vegetarians are the individuals most in danger of a vitamin B 12 deficiency. Many don't eat any kind of animal manufactured goods including fortified grains or fortified soy products. It is therefore tremendously critical for vegans to take vitamin B 12 supplements regularly. Contrary to numerous claims that certain vegetables have vitamin B 12, there is actually only one plant established to have a form of B 12 that humans can utilize. That is the Chinese herb Dang Gui. Since Dang Gui isn't exactly in high supply everywhere, the majority of vegans will have to take supplements in order to get the recommended daily dose of vitamin B 12.

If you are a vegan, or thinking of becoming one, it's a good idea to talk your diet over with your doctor or nutrionist. If you've been a vegan for sometime and haven't had a physical that includes a blood work up, you should go in for one as soon as possible, even if you feel fine. A vitamin B 12 deficiency can take years to develop, and by the time you start to experience the anemia symptoms, you are already in danger of permanent brain damage

Persons who have had part or each of their stomach removed through gastric bypass surgery, for example, are also in danger of a vitamin B 12 deficiency. The parietal cells in your stomach, the same ones that make the acid that aids in digestion, also make a glycoprotein termed 'intrinsic factor', which is required for vitamin B 12 to be absorbed. Without the intrinsic factor, you have to eat enormously large amounts of vitamin B 12 to get the amount you require to avoid anemia.

Supplements and certain vitamin B 12 rich foods, like calves liver, may provide an adequate amount of B 12 for persons with partially or wholly removed stomachs to get an adequate amount of the vitamin. If not, regular vitamin B 12 injections may be required