Vitamin B12 plays a key function in the formation of red blood cells, and the proper functioning and health of your nerve tissue.What are its health benefits?Known as the “energy vitamin”, B12 is needed in the manufacture and maintenance of red blood cells. It stimulates appetite and promotes growth.Vitamin B12 benefits include: Helping our bodies absorb folic acid, which facilitates the release of energy. It is involved in the metabolism of every cell of the body, especially affecting the DNA synthesis and regulation but also fatty acid synthesis. Supplementation has been linked to more restful and refreshing sleep.It's also known as cobalamin. Do you have a deficiency?A vitamin B12 deficiency is most likely in vegans, as all food sources are animal products. Chronic alcoholism may also be a cause.People with a B12 deficiency may eventually develop pernicious anaemia, a type of blood disorder that prevents them from absorbing B12. People with this blood disorder need to have a vitamin B12 injection or use Vitamin B12 patches, which go straight into their bloodstream, bypassing the stomach.
Symptoms and consequences of very low levels of vitamin B12 include: Rapid heartbeat and breathing Muscle weakness Pale skin Sore tongue Easy bruising or bleeding, including bleeding gums Diarrhoea Fatigue Anaemia Memory loss DementiaFind it in these foodsFoods from animals, but not plants, naturally have vitamin B12. These include: Fish Poultry Milk and other dairy products Cheese Seafood Liver DairyVegetarians who don’t eat eggs, as well as vegans, should make sure their B12 intake is adequate. There are various breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin B12. Some brands of nutritional yeast and soy are also good sources. Vitamin B12 supplements are also available.Recommended dietary allowance (RDA)Consult with your Clicks pharmacist first regarding the right dosage of daily oral supplements to make up for a vitamin B12 deficiency.The general guidelines for the recommended daily dosage, according to your age group, is: Birth to six months: 0.5mcg Six months to one year: 0.9mcg Ages one to 18 years: 0.9 to 2.4mcg Adults: 1.8-2.4 mcg Pregnant and lactating women: 2.6-2.8mcgKnow the overdose risksBecause vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, it is difficult to overdose or build up toxicity.
There are some rare side effects though. Excessive B12 supplementation may cause some numbness or tingling in the arm, hands and face.There appears to be a link between mega-doses of vitamin B12 and certain cancers. One study showed that excess vitamin B12 intake was associated with a three-fold increase in risk of developing prostate cancer.Ensure you discuss dietary supplementation with your Clicks pharmacist to avoid the potential for side effects and adverse interactions with medications.Shop online at Clicks.co.za for vitamin B12Clicks pharmacists have selected the most trustworthy supplements for you. Stock up on your monthly intake of vitamin B12 and other vitamin B-complex options here.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? One possible explanation (common to all therapies) is the placebo effect: it works partly because you believe in it. This is a powerful factor not to be ignored, and could explain why devotees really do feel energised after a B12 shot. The other possible explanation lies in inaccurate testing. So-called pseudo-B12 substances are found in some plant sources often taken as health supplements (such as spirulina and other algae). These have no biological activity in humans, but may register as B12 on tests, falsely showing that the patient has enough B12. Such a patient may have a slight vitamin B12 deficiency, so a B12 injection will have a dramatic effect simply because an unrecognised deficiency state is being treated.
When a good jab goes bad The real danger is that uncontrolled, regular B12 injections may disguise a true deficiency state where there’s a serious but potentially treatable cause – such as pernicious anaemia, cancer or alcohol abuse. And sometimes a delay or absence of treatment could be fatal. Science has clearly shown that consuming more vitamin B12 than your body needs doesn’t increase energy levels. It’s also true that you can’t overdose on B12, so there are no known toxic effects from using large amounts. In short, if you have a true deficiency, using vitamin B12 regularly will be necessary and will certainly make a difference. But for those of us who are not truly deficient, beefing up our B12 intake will probably only benefit the manufacturers of the product in the long run. Check your B12 status before looking for a quick-fix energy boost. If you’re suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency, you’re likely to experience . . . These symptoms are rapidly reversed with treatment through vitamin B12 replacement.