Vitamin B12 is found in its free vitamin form, called cyanocobalamin, and in two active coenzyme forms. This vitamin is absorbed from terminal portion of small intestine called ileum. Most of the body’s supple of vitamin B12 is stored in liver. It is unique; it is the only vitamin to contain mineral, cobalt. It is also a vitamin that cannot be made by higher plants ( the ones giving us fruits and vegetables ).
This vitamin is efficiently conserved in the body as most of it is secreted into bile and reabsorbed. This causes a very slow deficiency if there is a reduced intake or absorption. It is stable in heat but upon exposure to light, oxygen, acid or alkali environments, it loses its activity.
Vitamin B12 benefits
- It makes healthy red blood cells.
- Vitamin B12 protects myelin, the fatty material covering nerves and enables you to transmit electrical impulses between nerve cells. These messages make it possible for you to maintain a healthy nervous system.
Vitamin B12 foods:
Food rich in vitamin B12 include
Meat
Fish
Poultry
Milk products
Eggs
Clams
Vitamin B12 deficiency:
Vitamin B12 deficiency results in “pernicious anemia”, which is caused by a genetic problem in the production of “intrinsic factor”, a protein synthesized by acid producing cells of the stomach. Unlike folate deficiency, the anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency is accompanied by symptoms of nerve degeneration, which if not treated promptly can result in paralysis and death.
As it is well conserved in the body, deficiency of vitamin B12 is rare unless a person is strict vegetarian without any diary food in the diet for several years. Deficiency is usually observed when B12 absorption is hampered by disease or surgery to the stomach or ileum, damage to the gastric mucosa by alcoholism, or prolonged use of anti ulcer medications that affect secretion of intrinsic factor.