Vitamin B12 Benefits - Discover How You Can Achieve All The Benefits of Vitamin B12 and Enjoy Excellent Health!

What are the major vitamin B12 benefits for our health? What functions does this essential vitamin play in our body and what are the precautions on its intake? What are its deficiency symptoms and how to ensure proper supplementation? Find the answers here.

Vitamin B12 is also known as cobalamin. An interesting fact is that it was among the last vitamins to be discovered and it has since then gained large popularity due to its beneficial role in various health conditions.

Our body stores good levels of vitamin B12 in the liver. These reserves drop significantly after the age of 50, which causes vitamin B12 deficiency. One can overcome this deficiency through supplementation or by consuming greater amount of vitamin B12 rich foods such as eggs, fish and meats.

Vitamin B12 Benefits

The deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause --

• nerve damage
• depression
• weakening of muscles
• memory loss
• anemia
• fatigue
• retarded growth in children

Among the major vitamin B12 benefits is its role in --

• the manufacturing and regeneration of RBCs (red blood cells)
• manufacture of RNA and DNA (the genetic material of our cells)
• optimal functioning of the nervous system

Vitamin B12 works in synergy with folic acid (A B vitamin that is essential for cell growth and reproduction) to lower the levels of homocysteine in the body. Elevated levels of homocysteine is the precursor for heart diseases and the risk of heart attack.

Vitamin B12 also acts as an oxygen carrier, alleviates neurological disorders, metabolizes fat and boosts our immune system.

Vitamin B12 Precautions

Our body excretes any excess levels of vitamin B12 through the urine. So, there are no known major toxicity symptoms associated with vitamin B12 overdose in healthy individuals.

Taking large doses of folic acid can mask the symptoms of anemia that has been caused due to the deficiency of vitamin B12. Although the situation is rare, it is known to cause permanent damage to nerves.

Therefore, any person that suffers from anemia should not take a dosage of folic acid greater than 400 mcg per day unless their physician rules out the case of pernicious anemia.

Our Opinion on Supplementation for Vitamin B12 Benefits

Although our body stores large amounts of vitamin B12, many experts are of the view that almost 20% of elderly people might suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency.

Thus, we strongly believe that middle-age and elderly people should consider vitamin B12 intake as a part of their daily health regimen after consulting with their physician.

Besides that, vegetarians should also consider vitamin B12 supplementation as they do not consume animal products and foods - that are the richest sources of vitamin B12.

Tips on Choosing the Best vitamin B12 Supplement

1) Vitamin B12 and folic acid work together in synergy. Therefore, you should take them together. The Reader's Digest book "The healing power of vitamins, minerals and herbs" says that --
In addition to that, vitamin B12 is also essential for the absorption of calcium in our body. Therefore, our suggestion is that you should take vitamin B12 as part of a scientifically formulated comprehensive formula unless you have any specific reasons for higher vitamin B12 dosages for therapeutic purposes.

2) The nutritional supplement industry in the United States is largely unregulated. The consumers have only 20% chance of purchasing the product that contains the actual ingredients as have been stated on the product label.

Therefore, we strongly advise you to purchase supplements only from pharmaceutical GMP compliant facilities. These are the highest standards in the manufacture of dietary supplements.

3) Make sure that the vitamin B12 supplements that you purchase do not contain any types of additives or fillers (such as starch, sugar, gluten or silica (sand!)) or any flavors or artificial colors.

Your health depends on the type of nutrients your intake, so why not buy the best for your health?

A Comprehensive Supplement Product

A Company that meets all the above mentioned criteria -- and much more -- is Xtend-Life natural products of New Zealand. New Zealand has among the most stringent regulatory environments for the manufacture of nutritional supplements in the world -- which even exceed the US FDA standards.

Total Balance is the flagship product of Xtend-Life. It contains vitamin B12, calcium and folic acid -- plus a full range of other vitamins, minerals, potent herbal extracts, amino acids and speciality nutrients. In fact, it contains almost all the nutrients that have been covered on this entire site!

We have been personally taking Total Balance for the past few years and have achieved excellent health benefits.