Did you know 80% of the population is deficient in B12? Vitamin B12 depletion and deficiency are much more common than previously thought, especially in the over-60 population. 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.
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 likely you are to have a vitamin B12 deficiency. The two ways that you become deficient in vitamin B12 are from not getting enough in your diet and from losing the ability to absorb it. Also 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 B 12 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 B 12. Infection with Helicobactor pylori, a common contributor to stomach ulcers, can also result in vitamin B12 deficiency.
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...
...but it doesn't stop there, either.
Add the harmful effects of caffeine, pollution, conventional therapies, and the stress most of us experience everyday... and you've got yourself a recipe for energy drain.
Not many know it, but if you or a family member experience:
Tiredness and feelings of weakness...
Less-than-optimal nervous system functioning...
Less-than-optimal eye health...
Loss of appetite and unintended weight loss...
Occasional constipation and gas...
Feelings of mild moodiness...
Less-than-optimal memory...
A tendency toward nervousness...
Less-than-optimal balance...
Less-than-optimal liver or heart health...
Premature grey hair...
Occasional digestive issues...
...you may need to supplement with vitamin B12, even if you eat foods rich in B12.
You can eat plenty of meat, poultry, lamb's liver, brewer's yeast, clams, eggs, herring, mackerel, kidneys, milk, dairy products, or seafood -- and still have low levels of B12. How can that be?
It could be because your body is unable to absorb it from your gut. You see B12 needs the help of a protein in order to be absorbed. That protein is called intrinsic factor. And because the lining of your stomach makes intrinsic factor, people with less-than-optimal gastrointestinal health often need to supplement with B12.
Thus, the need for supplementation
Don't be fooled by supplements out on the market today! The absorption of vitamins in a pill, liquid, capsule, tablet or gelcap just don't cut it. The absorption rate is less than 50% in those forms. So if you want a supplement that has up to 95% absorption and is the most powerful delivery system taken orally click HERE to get more information.
Have a Healthy and Successful Vitamin B Day!
Source Dr Mercola
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