INFLUENCE OF VITAMIN B12 ON HEALTH

Greetings my dear readers of this great community of @ProjectHOPE, today I want to share with you a scientific content, as I will develop a topic on the importance of consuming vitamin B12 for our body.

As human beings we require food for the sustenance of our organism, but that food must be balanced, so that we can acquire with it all the nutrients and vitamins that our body needs to develop the different skills and functions it needs, One of the vitamins of great importance and fundamental for the human being is vitamin B, this represents a large family, but at this time we will focus on B12, it can be found in all foods derived from animals, and its consumption is necessary for the production of red blood cells, and prevent the weakening of the body as a result of anemia.

It is a macronutrient responsible for keeping the body active, in other words, it reduces extreme exhaustion and tiredness in general. It also fulfills specific functions in the human body, such as: DNA production, cellular metabolism, in the nervous system, in the formation of red blood cells and above all it helps to avoid the risk of developing a rare blood disorder that causes body weakness as a consequence of megaloblastic anemia.

All human beings should consume this macronutrient that has its origin in animals, as it is essential for the proper functioning of the brain, besides being essential for neurons and favors the level of concentration. In this sense, this vitamin works hand in hand with the metabolism of cells, in the formation of DNA and red blood cells.

This macronutrient should be consumed by athletes, as it enhances their recreational activities and helps them to gain muscle mass, as well as to eliminate fatigue and tiredness due to the development of daily life activities.

The importance of vitamin B12 intake lies in the fact that if your body does not have the necessary dose to carry out the functions of the body described above, we can detect signs in the body that indicate its deficiency such as: numbness in the legs, sleepiness and tiredness, difficulty walking and in the worst case, memory loss or dementia.

As we have already discussed above, this vitamin is present in various animal derivatives, so if you feel the need to consume this macronutrient you should only include in your diet foods such as beef, milk, and some dairy products. Other foods rich in it are oysters, shellfish, clams, liver, salmon, trout, tuna and eggs.

However, there is no exact dose of the amount of this vitamin that our body requires, since this will depend on certain factors such as age and if you practice any sport or physical condition, because if you are an athlete you will require a greater amount of the macronutrient so you can perform in your sports activities, as if you are vegetarian, vegan or are subjected to very stressful activities, your body will need to look for a kind of food supplements that can provide the amount of vitamin B12.

The importance of a balanced diet is a fundamental step to maintain the necessary doses of vitamin B12 and for the body to carry out all the basic functions where it is required, on the other hand if you are an elderly person, athlete, vegetarian or vegan, you should resort to the consumption of other food supplements rich in this macronutrient to prevent your body begins to develop symptoms that demonstrate its deficiency.

In this sense, I want this content that I have just presented to lead you to reflect on the importance of consuming this macronutrient, since it is a basic resource for the nervous system to function properly. Until next time, dear readers.

Forrellat Barrios, Mariela. (1999). Vitamin B12: metabolism and clinical aspects of deficiency. Source:

Brito, Alex. (2012). Folates and vitamin B12 in human health. Source:

Rodrigo, María. (2012). Vitamin B12 in vegetarianism. Criteria for its diagnosis. Source: