Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the human body, helping to maintain the performance of the brain and nervous system, producing blood, and providing the key building blocks for cellular reproduction and maintenance. The vitamin also helps the body produce several different enzymes for digestion as well as provides a natural energy boost. Vitamin B12 is has a complex absorption process that begins in the mouth and continues through the entire digestive process with any unabsorbed excess being safely excreted through the colon. Further, the liver stores Vitamin B12 and usually stores several years’ worth of the vitamin meaning that deficiencies are not very common in most western societies. Nevertheless, there are groups that are prone to deficiencies.
Vitamin B12 is created by bacteria that is found living in many other organisms, and comes to people through the consumption of animal products. Most Vitamin B12 comes from eating meat (especially liver), fish, shellfish, eggs, and dairy products. This means that strict vegans – people who consume no foods that come from animals – are at risk for Vitamin B12 deficiency. Further, a number of claimed alternative sources that are pitched to the vegan community – like laver (a seaweed) and barley grass – have been conclusively shown not to be a reliable source of Vitamin B12. Therefore vegans have to put forth a conscious effort to get proper amounts of this vitamin, including multivitamin supplements or vitamin fortified products like cereals or soy. Many decide to get a B12 shot.
Another group that is at particular risk for Vitamin B12 deficiency is the elderly. The extremely complex absorption process for Vitamin B12 requires the proper functioning of the stomach, pancreas and small bowel, as well as healthy production of Intrinsic Factor, a glycoprotein produced in the stomach. Any curtailed functioning of these organs can result in B12 not being properly absorbed and simply excreted. Many elderly people have reduced parietal cell function, which results in less Intrinsic Factor production, which significantly increases their chances of having a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Other medical problems, including hyperacidity, are also more common among the elderly and undermine the absorption of Vitamin B12.
All Vitamin B12 deficiencies can be successfully treated through vitamin supplements, which are available in a myriad of different forms. Vitamin B12 supplements can be provided through vitamin tablets or pills, liquids, transdermal patches, nasal sprays, and through direct injections into the blood stream. The most popular methods today are the use of vitamin supplement pills and b12 injections, though injections are more common among those who are not deficient but want the benefits of excess Vitamin B12. Getting a B12 shot is a good idea for those who have difficulty absorbing vitamin b12.
