Vitamin B12 importance in achieving Total Wellness

Vitamin B12 depletion and deficiency are much more common than previously thought, especially in the over-60 population. In fact, it’s believed that almost one in four people over 60 have deficient levels of this vital vitamin.

Equally disturbing are emerging signs that other age groups harbor suboptimal blood levels of B12 as well.

Why is vitamin B12 deficiency such a big deal?

Your body depends on vitamin B12 for a host of functions, including…

Helping to maintain normal energy levels*
Promoting healthy neurological activity, including mental alertness*
Supporting normal homocysteine levels for healthy cardiac function*
Helping to ease occasional stress and sleeplessness*
Maintaining healthy cell growth and repair*
Promoting normal immune function*
Supporting normal metabolism of carbohydrates and fats*
When your blood levels of vitamin B12 are low, one or more of these functions may be disrupted.*

Without adequate blood levels of B12, you can experience symptoms related to low energy, mental fatigue, mood changes, sleep difficulties, and even occasional indigestion.*

Your body relies on the efficient conversion of carbohydrates to glucose – your body’s source of fuel – just like your car needs to be able to use gas to run smoothly. Vitamin B12 plays a major role in that conversion in your body.* Likewise, B12 enables your body to convert fatty acids into energy as well.*

Contrary to what you might have heard, there’s really no solid evidence that supplemental vitamin B12 helps you lose weight.

Overall, vitamin B12 is a nutrient your body cannot do without for efficient, healthy metabolism of fats and carbohydrates.*
The older you get the more your digestive system breaks down, especially if you have been following the standard American diet. Specifically the lining of your stomach gradually loses its ability to produce hydrochloric acid which releases vitamin B12 from your food. The use of antacids or anti-ulcer drugs will also lower your stomach acid secretion and decrease your ability to absorb vitamin B12. Infection with Helicobactor pylori, a common contributor to stomach ulcers, can also result in vitamin B12 deficiency.

However, the main cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is a term researchers call food-cobalamin malabsorption syndrome. Cobalamin is the scientific term for vitamin B12. This typically results when your stomach lining loses its ability to produce intrinsic factor which is a protein that binds to vitamin B12 and allows your body to absorb it at the end of your small intestine.
If you often feel tired, run-down, and lacking in energy, you're not alone. Low energy is one of our country's biggest health complaints.

Some of the top reasons for this are:

Refined foods sold in grocery stores are depleted of vital nutrients
Refined foods are loaded with sugar
Refined foods are full of chemicals
Refined foods are overloaded with food colorings; and
Refined foods are loaded with preservatives
For starters, vitamin B12 helps folic acid regulate the formation of red blood cells, and helps your body use iron.*

In addition, it is also needed for proper digestion, food absorption, carbohydrate and fat metabolism.* It also helps keep your nervous system healthy by assisting the nerves of your body to function and communicate in an optimal manner.*

But that's not all...far from it!

B12 also helps in cell formation and cellular longevity.* Plus, it can support female reproductive health, and promote normal nerve growth and development by maintaining the fatty sheaths.* These fatty sheaths play a vital role as they cover and protect your nerve endings.*

What's more, this workhorse of a micronutrient is critical to your circulation and adrenal hormone production -- plus, it helps boost your immunity.* And, oh yes, let's not forget...

Vitamin B12 supports a healthy mood and feelings of well-being.* And then there's this -- it also provides excellent support for your memory, mental clarity, and concentration.*

Aside from using B12 to give you an energy boost, when does it also make sense to supplement with this all-important vitamin? Well, there are several good reasons to take vitamin B12.

And the first reason to take it is if you are a carb type or a strict vegetarian.
Many people avoid red meats for a large variety of reasons. If you are one of them, you are at a high risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency. Why? Because plant sources have virtually no vitamin B12. And oral forms of B12 in nearly all supplements are practically useless, as little is absorbed into your bloodstream.

Vegetarians should take this essential micronutrient to ensure an adequate supply of it, because it is found almost exclusively in animal tissues. And, the few plant foods that are sources of B12 are actually B12 analogs -- not the form that provides all the benefits of the real deal.

Simply put, an analog is a substance that blocks the uptake of true B12. The result being, your body's need for the nutrient actually increases.

Furthermore, your body's need for this nutrient may also increase if you take Metformin©. Metformin may interfere with calcium metabolism. And this interference may reduce B12 absorption, because this absorption requires calcium.

Studies suggest that 10% to 30% of patients taking Metformin show evidence of reduced vitamin B12 absorption. That's why it is important to speak with your doctor to discuss the best way to maintain B12 levels when taking this medication.
B12 plays a vital role in melatonin production. Melatonin has been called "the sleep hormone" because it is responsible for letting you get a good night's sleep.

As you age, it becomes increasingly more difficult to get a good night's sleep because your body becomes less efficient at making this hormone. And that's why it's a good idea to take B12 to help you sleep like a baby each night.

Moreover, a lack of adequate B12 can have other annoying consequences too.
Most commercial supplements contain 100-200 micrograms of B12. But, if you actually took 500 micrograms of B12, you'd get an absorption of about 1.8 micrograms. That's an absorption rate of only one third of one percent! I recommend taking B12 sublingually[under the tongue] or by injection.
Vitamin B12 along with the other key vitamins are essential to achieve Total Wellness.