The importance of vitamin B12?
All vitamins are essential to the optimal functioning of our organism. However, some seem to be more important than others, especially during the first few months of the year.he periods of life stressful, or simply when you're feeling a little low on energy. The solution may lie in a supply of vitamin B12, known as "the energy vitamin."If one of the primary roles of this vitamin is to strengthen energy useful to the immune system and the body as a whole, this is just one of many roles.
Indeed, vitamin B12 or cobalamin is useful for red blood cell formation and iron-related metabolism, this in collaboration with folic acid. Cobalamin allows for good digestion as well as efficient absorption of food and primarily carbohydrates. It helps maintain the integrity of all nerves and their myelin sheath, and promotes growth and development of the nervous system. It also participates in cellular reproduction and contributes to longevity. It supports reproductive function in women, circulation andadrenaline production. While reinforcing the immune systemCobalamin helps maintain good mental faculties, such as memory and concentration. It also helps to keepyour good mood and to better manage your stress.
Few people know that a lack of vitamin B12 can manifest itself in a wide variety of ways. Manifestations range from simple fatigue, a feeling of weakness or sadness, simple memory loss, a tendency to become irritable, to actual malfunction of the nervous system, to impaired vision and eye function. This lack may also appear as unexplained loss of appetite or weight, constipation, and occasional gas emissions. It can also affect more vital organs such as the liver or heart, or more superficial cosmetic elements, such as causing premature hair discoloration.
What are the sources of vitamin B12?
There are two main possibilities that can cause a lack of vitamin B12, either your dietary sources of this vitamin are insufficient or your body is experiencing difficulties in absorbing this vitamin. It is known that the sources of vitamin B12 are primarily animal.
People practicing a vegetarian or vegan diet are therefore more prone to vitamin B12 deficiencies. Recent studies have shown that in countries such as India, where the basis of cooking is primarily plant-based,80% of adults are deficient in vitamin B12.
Obviously, if you lead a very active life, if you are stressed, vegetarian or vegan, or even if you simply avoid red meat, you are at high risk of being deficient in vitamin B12.
When we know the importance of its role within the human body, it is easy to understand that its deficiency can lead to a lesser resistance of the nervous system, as well as a weakening of all brain functions.
If you are experiencing stress, sleep disturbances, are in a gloomy mood or lose your memory, don't hesitate to eat meat, poultry, liver, lamb, organ meats and eggs in abundance.
If you have more "marine" tastes, opt for herring, mackerel, clams and seafood in general. Or drink brewer's yeast or regularly drink a good craft beer, preferably organic.
It appears that intestinal absorption of vitamin B12 is facilitated when it is coupled with protein, which is obviously the case for meats and seafood products.
Age and vitamin B12?
It is currently known that advancing age causes general mineral and vitamin loss anyway. Vitamin B12 is obviously no exception to this rule. However, scientists have highlighted that as you age, your stomach lining produces less and less stomach acid and that this acid, emitted in sufficient quantities, does just that release the vitamin B12 from your food. It is therefore easy to understand that the use of chemical drugs, such as antacids or anti-ulcer drugs, may also be responsible for this type of deficiency since they decrease gastric acid secretions.
The primary cause of vitamin B12 insufficiency is thought to result more generally from intestinal malabsorption syndrome, directly related to decreased gastric acid production. Insufficient degradationof food in the stomach due to lack of gastric juice, therefore does not allow sufficient absorption of nutrients by the small intestine.
Other health problems, such as osteoporosis or calcium deficiencies contribute to this malabsorption since the assimilation of vitamin B12 requires sufficient calcium in the body.
That's why most nutritionist physicians recommend cobalamin supplementation starting at age 50. Vitamin B12 supplements are relatively easy to find in many forms: galenic, capsule, tablet, capsule or liquid.
Tired, lacking energy? You are not the only one!
No, you are not alone in feeling often tired, or lacking energy. This is one of the most common complaints in our industrialized countries. Indeed, without making very long speech, it is very easy to realize that currently, our industrial food, refined, too sweet, and loaded with various chemicals (dyes, additives, pesticides ...), no longer fulfills its primary role, which is to provide the nutrients, vitamins and energy needed by our body.
If you couple this with the adverse effects of caffeine, smoking, surrounding pollution, chemical drugs, lack of oxygenation or exercise, or poor sleep or difficulty falling asleep, you quickly understand that under such conditions, you cannot be at the top of your mental and energetic abilities. Considering all of these various harmful factors, it seems that vitamin B12 alone can already improve much of these small health concerns.
In fact, as soon as you get back to a restful sleep, energy and good moods come rushing back. So let's not lose sight of the fact that cobalamin plays a vital role in the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for the quality of your sleep. Since, with advancing age, sleep is often less good due to a lack of melatonin secretion, and since vitamin B12 deficiency is on the horizon, the vicious circle begins. Less vitamin B12, means less melatonin, and less melatonin responsible for poor sleep, all leading to stress, thus increased consumption of vitamin B12, etc.