Dietary Supplement: Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 and Health

The essential vitamin for a healthy nervous system, red blood cells and bone marrow.  It is a very important vitamin for maintaining and preventing damage to the nervous system, is essential for the formation of new cells, particularly red blood cells, and helps prevent or treat anaemia.  It is needed for the synthesis of DNA, the metabolism of fatty acids and for keeping the myelin sheath around the nerves healthy.  B12 particularly works in tandem with folic acid and needs a substance present in gastric juice, intrinsic factor, to be absorbed by your body. (1)

Other benefits of Vitamin B12 are:

•  help the elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women with vitamin B12 deficiencies (1)(11);
• help with vitamin B12 deficiency in alcohol abuse (1)(12);
• reduces cardiovascular disease risk among smokers as smoking increases homocysteine levels and decreases vitamin 12 levels (1)(13);
• Interaction with certain prescribed medications raise the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency (1)(9)(10);

Important: This information does not substitute for the advice of your healthcare professional. A healthcare professional should be consulted before taking any drug, changing any diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment.