What are the benefits of B12? What kind of foods contain the highest percentage of B12?

Question

I saw on an info-mercial late one night that B12 can make you feel better. That it helps with memory loss, depression, lack of energy, and several other benefits. The Dr. also said that you could not take too much of it. Is there any truth to this? Also what is the best way to get this vitamin into your system?

Answer 1

i guess it helps in many ways like for anxiaty and depression and i'm not a sure what eles

Answer 2

B12 is part of the B complex of vitamins ie ~ B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and folate etc....... don't buy any of the B complex of vitamins individually but rather as a whole complex as they work best as a group......... unless of course, a nutritionally oriented physician or naturopath has told you to buy them individually.

The B complex of vitamins is essential for healthy neural, digestive and immune system functioning.

B12 in particular, will form and regenerate red blood cells, thereby preventing anemia;

It will help break down the amino acid homocysteine, lowering the risk of heart disease;

Promotes growth and increase appetite in children;

increases energy;

maintains a healthy nervous system;

Relieves irritability and moodiness,

improves concentration, memory and balance;

Helps protect against smoking induced cancer;

Relieves some chest pains and heart palpitations;

Helps eliminate excessive sweating and numbing and tingling and prickling sensations in the outer extremities.

foods rich in vitamin B12 are ~ liver, lambs fry, cheese, eggs and fish.

B12 needs vitamin B6, calcium and vitamin D for effective assimilation so ensure you are eating enough leafy greens (calcium) and getting at least 10 minutes of safe sun exposure (vitamin D) daily or simply take a calcium tablet with vitamin D3 (easiest to assimilate) in it.

Iron needs B12 for effective assimilation so if you're deficient in B12 you'd be exhausted and fatigued and suffering all the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia.

If you are having trouble digesting your tablets go get yourself some organic apple cider vinegar and put 2 tablespoons full into a glass, mix up and drink up........ the apple cider vinegar will increase the production of hydrochloric acid in your tummy and aid in digestion. Ensure you buy organic as the commercial varieties have had way too much of the goodness taken out of them to be used therapeutically. ........ also ensure that you shake well before using to disperse the mother (active ingredient) throughout and that you drink it through a straw to protect the enamel on your teeth ♥

Drink loads of fresh filtered water too as the happiest and healthiest body will always be the most hydrated one.

Water is imperative to life. Without water your body will have a terrible time breathing, digesting food, transporting nutrients, lubricating your joint sockets etc.etc.etc.etc......... nothing substitutes for water. your body needs at least 2 - 3 litres of water daily to function efficiently.

also, try to cut back on drinks such as coffee, tea, alcohol, sodas and soft drinks (if you drink any of them) which will all do great job of dehydrating you and of robbing you of your precious water soluble B complex of vitamins... . ie: just 1 can of soda or soft drink will make your body peesh out up to 12 cups of water !!! 1 cup of coffee will make your body peesh out about 2 cups of water ........... read the book by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.... "Your body's many cries for water"...... an astounding and scary and very true read.

Other things that could be robbing you of your precious B complex of vitamins are :- eating too much protein, most otc cold medicines actually, alcohol, eating too much tinned food, antiobiotics ,antidepressants, penicillin, prednisone and aspirin, laxatives and diuretics, the oral contraceptive and eoestrogen supplementation (if you are female).....

A liquid supplement would be the easiest for your body to assimilate ......  yes you can take too much .... as OldTimeKid said ..... just follow the instructions on the bottle mate..... the B vitamins are water soluble so your body will simply use what it needs and the rest will be excreted in your urine..... if you are vegetarian and can't eat foods rich in B12 then you'll find you'll probably need to take some in the morning and some in the afternoon to relieve the stress associated with deficiency.

hope this helps a bit ♥

peace 2 u

Answer 3

Technically, yes, they're right. B-12 helps for energy and because of that, it can help support mood. When it's taken with Folic Acid and B-6, it can help to fight harmful levels of Homocysteine which helps with cardiovascular health.

I haven't heard of it specifically supporting memory, but I suppose it could because it can help with energy in the whole body including the brain.

As far as "could not take too much of it", that's partially true. It's a water-soluble vitamin, so if your body can't use it, it will excrete it from your system... but you can take too much of anything at once (like if you chugged a whole bottle of B-12 pills, that could be bad).

As far as the best way to get it in your system, taking a daily dose is the best because your body won't store it. Some people prefer swallowing a capsule, some prefer sucking on a lozenge... a lot of that depends on each person and whether they can handle a lozenge in their mouth for half an hour or so.

Typically, the lozenge will get the B-12 into your system the fastest, but any form of it that's taken daily will still get into your system.

I would personally stay away from the shots because you're literally getting a super-dose once a week or so and your body tries to filter and process out the B-12. Since it's water-soluble, all of it is usually processed out before the week is up. I know quite a number of people that have gotten sick when they got a vitamin shot because it was too much for their bodies to handle... so they'd be sick for a day or two each time they got a dose.

It's up to each person to decide which form they would like, but 500-1,000 mcg is a normal dose.