XLWellness

Lose fat, gain wellness.

Benefits of Vitamin B12

Detailed Health Benefits of Vitamin B12

The benefits of Vitamin B12 are primarily involved with brain and nervous system operation. Cellular metabolic processes require it to function properly which includes DNA synthesis and normalization. It’s also a key component of our blood and used when producing energy from the foods we eat.

Studies have shown that Vitamin B12 can help prevent asthma in children, protect against HIV infection for adults, lessen the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and depression in the elderly, treat tinnitus (ringing in the ears), increase sperm counts, and even assists in the production of melatonin which has been linked to getting a good night’s rest.

Some of the best sources for Vitamin B12 are meat, milk, and eggs. Basically all animal products are high in Vitamin B12. However, it should be noted that eggs also contain an inhibitor that prevents absorption of Vitamin B12. Almost all plant sources of B12 will also be unavailable to humans due to similar chemicals preventing the proper absorption of it. Because of this many vegetarians will use milk as a good source of Vitamin B12 and vegans use fortified foods like cereals that include it.

Most people get more than enough Vitamin B12 in their diet without needing to supplement. However, supplementation can be extremely useful in certain cases (like the elderly) as mentioned above. The benefits of Vitamin B12 make it one of the most important vitamins to our health and wellness and one of the scariest to be deficient in as it reduces and in some cases completely breaks the normal functions of our minds.