Vitamin B12 – which is the best?

Vitamin B12, otherwise known as cobalamin, is of great importance to our body. It affects the functioning of almost our entire body. Despite this, many of us do not delve into information about this very valuable vitamin and do not know what it is responsible for. Within a few years, however, people’s awareness of health, including every vitamin, is increasing significantly. We are beginning to pay close attention to what we eat and what nutritional value, thanks to it, we provide. We want to live a healthy life, which makes us want more and more information about the vitamins, or minerals, we need to live.
Where does it occur?

The best sources of B12 vitamin, are fish, offal, shellfish, animal products such as milk, cheese and eggs. They are the best absorbed sources of this vitamin. Fermented vegetables are also a rich source of B12, as they contain fermentation bacteria.

Due to the significant prevalence of zoonotic products that have cobalamin, it can be problematic for those on a plant-based diet, especially a vegan one. This is because this diet excludes not only meat itself, but also eggs or milk. Recent research shows, however, that in addition to supplementing its levels, through vitamin preparations, sea buckthorn fruit or black mustard fluid can be an additional source of its acquisition. Despite the presence of B12 in them, it should be remembered that there is little chance of covering the entire daily requirement with them.

Sea buckthorn fruit can be a source of vitamin B-12

What else can we find vitamin B12 in? It is also found in foods fortified with this vitamin. It can be added to foods in the form of hydroxycobalamin and cyanocobalamin, in doses not exceeding half of the daily requirement. Yogurts, candy, juices and breakfast cereals are most often enriched with it.
Properties

Vitamin B12 has many uses in our body. The first is the synthesis of DNA and RNA, it takes part in the metabolic process of purine and pyruvate, thus ensuring human gene stability. Another of its functions is to take part in the metabolic transformation of carbohydrates and fats. It also ensures the proper functioning of the urinary tract and the correct conversion of folic acid into the actively biological form of tetrahydrofolate.

It also has important functions in the blood. B12 is responsible for the production of factors that are then involved in the formation of blood cells in the hematopoietic system. This makes it so that often insufficient amounts of this vitamin result in anemia and significant weakness of the body. Its presence also determines the normal synthesis of red blood cells in the bone marrow.

Delving into what is affected by its presence or absence in the body with ease, one can see how important its presence in our body is. That is why it is so important to take care of its correct level.
Norm of occurrence

To determine what level of vitamin B12 is present in our body, it is necessary to take a fasting blood test. Without too much difficulty, we can obtain a referral for its performance. It is also possible to draw blood to find out its level privately for a small cost, scaling from 20 to 30 zlotys. Its normal value is: 148-740 pmol/l (200-1000 ng/l).
B12 deficiency

Who may be affected by vitamin B12 deficiency?

The first group of people particularly vulnerable to it are vegetarians and vegans. As previously mentioned, the main source of its occurrence is meat and fish, as well as animal products, which people on this diet will not consume.

Deficiency can also be associated with improper absorption of it from food, in the intestinal tract. Subsequently, this leads, to the occurrence of pernicious anemia.

People who are predisposed to insufficient levels of it in the blood may also be: those who have undergone gastric or intestinal resection, those suffering from: ulcers, Crohn’s disease and Whiplle’s disease, heartburn, chronic gastritis, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. People with diseases of the ileum are also at risk, as well as those taking: metformin and gastric acid secretion blockers.
Symptoms of deficiency

The most common symptoms of insufficient B12, in our body, can be:

ulceration of the corners of the mouth,
development of cardiovascular diseases,
disorders of the nervous system, including: weakening of the organ of vision, a feeling of tingling in the hands, or a sensation of passing electricity along the spine,
changes of a degenerative nature in the gastric mucosa,
disturbances in the absorption of nutrients through the gastric mucosa,
disorders of the circulatory system, resulting in malignant or megaloblastic anemia,
constant weakness, fatigue, loss of consciousness and dizziness and headaches,
constant problems with concentration, learning and focus,
problems that are deceptively similar to mental disorders, including memory disorders, behavioral changes, depression, anxiety, constant restlessness, or dementia.

Excess B12

Vitamin B12, due to its water solubility, is virtually impossible to overdose on. When consumed, its excess is discharged with urine or sweat outside the body, in liquid form.
Dosage and supplementation of vitamin B12

Doses scaling from 10 to 1,000 µg are available in pharmacies. Despite this wide scale, most often, however, it is recommended to take between 100 and 250 µg.

To start supplementation, it is worth consulting a specialist who, after ordering a blood test, will assess whether it is necessary. Then, when its levels are dramatically low, it is possible to administer it intramuscularly to quickly bring it up to the recommended level.

It is best, if one is prone to vitamin B12 deficiency, to perform periodic blood tests at two- or three-month intervals. This is also necessary when recovering from a deficiency, in order to observe the effects and effectiveness of treatment.
Daily requirements

However, the recommended amounts of its intake can also vary due to a number of factors. An adult should take about 2.4 µg of vitamin B12 per day. A pregnant woman will, however, need it already at approx. 4.5 µg, while people with pernicious anemia need from 4 to as much as 20 µg per day. The amount of B12 taken by children depends on their age. Between 7 and 11 months, the dose should be up to 1.5 µg per day. As children grow, their need for this vitamin also increases. Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 should already be taking the same dose as adults, or 2.4 µg.

Vitamin B12 is absorbed in only one percent of the intake, and is stored in the liver.

Symptoms of its deficiency can appear even after several years of insufficient intake, which is why it is so important to take care of its proper levels in our bodies.
Which form of vitamin B12 is best?

The best for our body is methylcobalamin, which is the best biologically active form of it in our body. At the same time, it interacts with folic acid, during the methylation cycle. It is responsible for most of the benefits of taking vitamin B12. In addition to it, vitamin B12 comes in two more forms, namely as adenosylcobalamin and hydroxycobalamin.