Do you know the benefits of vitamin B12? Do you know who is most likely to need supplements to get the right amount of vitamin B12? Do you know what supplements are most likely to give you enough vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 Benefits
Vitamin B12 benefits the human body in three major ways: production of red blood cells, formation of DNA and RNA, and maintaining the functional and structural mechanisms in the nervous system.
Vitamin B12 benefits normal and sufficient red blood cell formation, giving us enough energy and strength to perform the normal activities of daily living.
Vitamin B12 benefits DNA and RNA replication which affects every function and every cell in our bodies. Not only are DNA and RNA essential to healthy cell reproduction, but they are important in gene expression, which affects every metabolic process in our body.
Vitamin B12 benefits nervous system health by allowing for normal sensation and motion of our bodies, and the ability to process information correctly.
Clearly, vitamin B12 is essential for health and survival!
Who Needs a Supplement to Get Vitamin B12 Benefits?
Anyone who cannot get enough vitamin B12 through their food needs a supplement. That includes anyone who has a low serum B12 level and/or anyone who has symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, even if blood tests do not show low levels of vitamin B12.
A supplement may help you get vitamin B12 benefits if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Numbness and tingling in your hands or feet
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Poor appetite
- Pallor
- Shortness of breath
- Sore mouth and tongue
- Confusion, memory problems or any unexplained change in mental status
What Kind of Supplement Will Give Me Vitamin B12 Benefits?
There are four basic kinds of vitamin B12 supplements: oral supplements (taken by mouth), sublingual supplements (taken under the tongue), intramuscular injections of vitamin B12, or vitamin B12 patches. Any of these supplements will give you vitamin B12 benefits.
The best way to get vitamin B12 is to through a vitamin B12 injection. B12 Injections, of course, are inconvenient and painful, and must be administered by a health care professional (unless you give them to yourself). The B12 patch, on the other hand, is available without a prescription, and is very convenient and painless.
