What is B12?
Vitamin B12 assists in keeping your body’s blood and nerve cells healthy and helps make DNA. It helps the body use fats and carbohydrates for energy and make new proteins. B12 is known to help people sustain energy and focus throughout the day.
Ten Benefits of Vitamin B12
1. Regulate Metabolism
Low levels of vitamin B12 can lead to a slower metabolism, fat retention and low energy and performance. Our body uses vitamin B12 to regulate our metabolism. Studies have shown that deficiency in B12 can lead to fat accumulation and obesity. By boosting and maintaining proper levels, it allows our bodies to improve our metabolism and consume fats and carbohydrates to burn calories.
2. Improve Mood
Numerous studies have shown that a vitamin B12 deficiency increases risk of developing depression. Lack of vitamin B12 can lead to irritability, changes in personality, depression, and memory loss.
3. Healthy Hair, Skin, and Nails
Low vitamin B12 can lead to patching of the skin, nail discolouration, hair loss, vitiligo, inflamed and cracked mouth corners. By maintaining a healthy amount of B12 in our bodies, we can improve the health of our skin, hair, and nails.
4. Increase Red Blood Cell Formation
Vitamin B12 is essential for healthy blood. When the body does not have enough B12, it leads to decreased normal red blood cell production, which impairs oxygen delivery.
5. Improve Bone Health
Multiple studies have shown that lower bone density (Osteoporosis) has been linked to lower B12 levels, major agencies including the Agricultural Research Services Agency, suggest that lower B12 levels increase the risk of suffering Osteoporosis and poor bone health. By improving B12 levels in our bodies, we can take precautionary actions against a silent disease that is Osteoporosis.
6. Improve Vision
At the University of Sydney, research showed that deficiency of vitamin B-12 predicted an increased risk to age-related Macular Degeneration, additionally, B12 deficiency could also manifest itself as optic neuropathy and present as progressive decline in visual acuity leading to gradual development of bilateral centrocecal scotomas (Chavala).
7. Improve Brain Health
Cobalamin (vitamin B12) enables neurons to repair and heal themselves, preventing cell death. It further aids in the reparation of the myelin sheet, which facilitates signals transmission. Damage to the myelin sheet may directly lead to cognitive decline, it’s one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s(Baltrusch).
8. Improve Energy
As we get older, our bodies stop producing acids that help digestion, diminishing our capability to absorb vitamin B12 from our diets, also, some gastrointestinal issues can cause vitamin B12 deficiency. Deficiency in B12 can lead to a lack of energy(O’Leary). Vitamin B12 is used in the conversion of protein and fat into energy, which can boost the available energy in the body.
9. Improve Heart Health
Homocysteine can cause harm by increasing cloth formation in the blood vessels in the heart. Vitamin B12 regulates and lowers the levels of Homocysteine in our bodies, thus reducing heart disease. It is suggested to use folic acid as well to further diminish cardiac disease (Zablocki).
10. Prevent Birth Defects
In the study, published in Pediatrics, researchers compared vitamin B12 levels in blood samples taken from three groups of pregnant women. In all three groups, women with low vitamin B12 levels were more likely to have a child with a brain defect than those with higher levels. The findings suggest that having high vitamin B12 levels before becoming pregnant may reduce a child’s risk of birth defects.
In conclusion, vitamin B12 is not only fundamental for maintaining the health of blood and nerve cells and aiding in DNA synthesis, but it also plays a multifaceted role in enhancing overall well-being. From boosting metabolism and mood to ensuring the health of your hair, skin, and nails, the benefits of maintaining adequate levels of this essential nutrient are extensive. It improves red blood cell formation, bone health, and vision, and supports brain health by aiding in neuron repair and maintaining the myelin sheath. Furthermore, B12 boosts energy, promotes heart health by regulating Homocysteine levels, and is crucial for prenatal health to prevent birth defects. Clearly, Vitamin B12 is a powerhouse nutrient that supports multiple facets of health, making its adequate intake essential for optimal physiological function and disease prevention.
