B-12

Vitamin B-12 (Cyanocobalamin) is a water-soluble vitamin that helps keep your body’s blood and nerve cells healthy and helps to make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Some people have trouble absorbing vitamin B-12 from food. The body absorbs vitamin B-12 from food in a two-step process. First, hydrochloric acid in the stomach separates vitamin B-12 from the protein that it’s attached to. Second, the freed vitamin B-12 then combines with a protein made by the stomach, called intrinsic factor, and the body absorbs them together. If this process does not function as it should, B-12 supplements can help. Vitamin B-12 is added to some foods, such as fortified breakfast cereals; however, people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet might be prone to deficiency because plant foods don’t contain vitamin B-12. Therefore, supplementation with B-12 may be especially important for strict vegetarians. Also, older adults and people with digestive tract conditions that affect absorption of nutrients also are susceptible to a vitamin B-12 deficiency. Left untreated, a vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to anemia, fatigue, muscle weakness, intestinal problems, nerve damage and mood disturbances.