Saving the best for last...B12 - Cobalamin

Ciao Nutrinutters,

As promised, this is the second vitamin for this week! If you haven't done so yet, make sure to look at B9 too :)

Here's the cherry on top of the sundae of B vitamins - Cobalamin or most commonly known as B12.
Although it is still part of the B family, this vitamin is very unique in quite a few ways:

• We store it in our bodies
• It's absorbed in 2 steps: a) stomach acid separates B12 from the protein it is attached to in food; b) it combines with a protein made in the stomach called intrinsic factor to be absorbed.
• Found mostly in animal sources

What's so special about this B?

Vitamin B12 is important for the production of DNA. Remember how I mentioned before that many of these vitamins work together? Well, it just so happens that folate and B6 will work together with B12 in this function.

The trio will also work together in the production of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, a neurotransmitter strongly linked to mood control. Remember how I called vitamin B6 the moody vitamin? Well, maybe we can call this trio "the moody trio" ;)

This vitamin also acts in the nervous system by playing an important role in maintaining healthy nerve cells.

It protects myelin, the fatty material that covers your nerves and enables us to transmit messages between our nerve cells. Low levels of B12 can cause nerve damage, making it harder for signals to be sent out specially to the body's extremities, such as in our hands and feet. This is why symptoms show up first in these regions.

Another sign of deficiency is anemia. This one is called Pernicious Anemia and it happens usually when the stomach cells are not able to produce intrinsic factor and therefore the body is not able to absorb the vitamin. Deficiency can also happen in vegans since the food sources come from animal.

How much do I need?

The recommendation for B12 for adult males and females is 2.4 micrograms. Pregnant and lactating women require a little more, 2.6 mcg and 2.8 mcg respectively.

As for what kind of foods you can find B12 in, since it is produced by "good" bacteria, good sources will be meat, fish, poultry, milk products and eggs. Like the previous vitamin, some grain products might be fortified with B12 too.

Can this vitamin be toxic?

Although animal food sources have significant amounts of this vitamin (4 ounces of salmon has 2 times what's recommended for the day!) having high amounts of B12, whether by food or supplementation, has not shown to be toxic...but I still rather be on the safe side and not get too carried away with uber crazy high doses...

So this concludes another vitamin and a good chunk of our Journey...But we're not done yet! Next week there's more! ;)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-