If you're trying to prevent or fight off a cold, vitamin B-12 may not offer much help. A cold is caused by a virus and is usually treated with rest and fluids, along with medication to manage symptoms. While vitamin B-12 is promoted as an energy booster, which you may feel the need for when you're suffering from a cold, there's no evidence to support the energy-boosting claims, Dr. David Heber, director of UCLA’s Center for Human Nutrition, told Los Angeles Magazine in 2013. Vitamin B-12 -- part of the B-complex of vitamins -- is water-soluble. You need vitamin B-12 to make red blood cells and DNA. It's also an important component of your nervous system. Most people in the United States adequately meet their vitamin B-12 needs, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. But this B-vitamin is primarily found in animal foods, such as meat and dairy, and vegans may have a difficult time meeting their needs. Additionally, some people have a difficult time absorbing vitamin B-12, including the elderly and those with pernicious anemia -- an uncommon condition characterized by the lack of intrinsic factor, which you need to absorb the vitamin -- and may require supplementation.
Vitamin B-12 is not only linked to energy levels but also to heart health, cognition and dementia. As with its effects on your energy, however, there is no evidence to support claims that vitamin B-12 supplementation improves heart health or cognition, or prevents or delays dementia, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, but more research is recommended. Additionally, ODS does not mention a link between the common cold and vitamin B-12 or immune health. Unless you're deficient in vitamin B-12, taking additional supplements may not offer any benefits. A cold usually lasts for a few days, according to MedlinePlus, and taking steps to manage your symptoms can help ease your discomfort. Most importantly, you should drink plenty of fluids and get rest. You can also take over-the-counter medication to help treat your pain and congestion. Common alternative treatments for a cold include vitamin C, zinc and echinacea. Talk to your doctor about the effectiveness of these treatments before adding them to your regimen.
Taking steps to boost your immunity may help prevent you from getting sick in the first place. A healthy and balanced diet, which includes food sources of vitamin B-12, is an important part of overall immune health. In addition to making sure you get adequate sources of vitamin B-12 in your diet, you'll also want to include fruits, vegetables and grains. Gain 2 pounds per week Gain 1.5 pounds per week Gain 1 pound per week Gain 0.5 pound per week Maintain my current weight Lose 0.5 pound per week Lose 1 pound per week Lose 1.5 pounds per week Lose 2 pounds per week B-Complex Vitamin Benefits & Side Effects Vitamins to Prevent Colds Are High Doses of Vitamin B6 Really Dangerous? Vitamin B1 Overdose Symptoms How Much Is Too Much Vitamin B Complex? Why Take Vitamin B-50? Vitamin B Complex and Green Urine The Best Over-the-Counter Cold Medicines Can Taking Vitamin B12 Shorten Cold Sores? Can Vitamins Prevent the Flu?
The Best Places to Give Vitamin B12 Injections The Best Time to Take Vitamin B-12 How to Give B12 IM Injections Does Vitamin C Help Once You Are Sick? Benefits of Vitamin B12 Injections Are Vitamin B12 Shots Safe During Pregnancy? B Complex Vitamin Daily Requirements Benefits of Vitamin B Complex With Folic Acid Do B Vitamin Supplements Make You Hyper? Which Is Better Vitamin B6 or B12?Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system and in the formation of red blood cells. Lack of B12 can lead to anemia, causing you to feel tired and weak. With a prescription, our practitioners make it easy to get your injections. What to know before your visit Our practitioners provide this service to patients 18 years or older. This service is not available to pregnant women. Patients must present a valid prescription or have a prescription on file at the pharmacy. Patients with the following may be directed to another health care provider:
What to expect at your visit *MinuteClinic® employs physician assistants in select states. See here for details.The vitamin B12 injection has been hailed a miraculous energy enhancer – but also deemed a big, fat fake. Now some doctors say unless you have a rare B12 deficiency, the only benefit of this shot is the placebo effect.No, this is not just a line-up of controversial celebrity blondes. It’s a selection of stars who regularly have vitamin B12 jabs to keep their energy levels in line with their sky-high careers. And they’re not alone. In fact, we’re all searching for an elixir to override nature’s systems and provide an instant fix. Today’s athletes use performance-enhancing drugs and high-stress execs pop pills and potions to boost performance and rev their energy engines. This quick-fix attitude aims to artificially inject a better-than normal effect – and much faster than anything that can be achieved naturally. And the vitamin B12 injection is lauded by many as the quickest energising fix around.
You may not be a superstar, but that doesn’t mean the stresses and strains of modern life don’t leave you gasping for an energy boost. Could this contentious jab be just what the doctor ordered? Is more really called for? Vitamin B12 (one of a group of eight B vitamins) is used by every cell in the body because it plays a role in the production of DNA. It’s also essential for the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and in the formation of blood cells. But as the body can’t manufacture vitamin B12, it has to be obtained from one’s diet – mainly from animal products. How much B12 do you really need? For adults, two to three micrograms per day is enough to keep all the B12 reactions running at full tilt. Any excess B12 goes into the stores (mainly in the liver) and when the stores are full (at around 5 000 micrograms) any remaining B12 is simply excreted via the urine. This means that injecting vitamin B12 when there’s no shortage is senseless and wasteful.
Because the amount stored in the liver is enough to last an average adult several years before symptoms of deficiency arise. Plus, being a water soluble substance, any excess B12 is immediately excreted. So over-zealous B12 supplementation achieves nothing more than expensive urine. Could you be B12 deficient? As most of us have enough of this vital vitamin in storage, the only people who really benefit from B12 injections are those who suffer from a real deficiency – strict vegetarians, heavy drinkers, individuals undergoing stomach surgery, people with cancer, intestinal parasites or pernicious anaemia, and those on medication such as anti-diabetic drugs or some antacids. These factors all lead to low levels of vitamin B12 in the cells. If you have low B12 levels due to one of these factors, you’ll probably need regular B12 injections. Once your stores are restocked, an injection every two to three weeks will keep the balance in check. If so little B12 is needed, and providing extra doesn’t speed up reactions and can’t even be stored, why the hype around B12 boosting?