What is Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is one of the water-soluble vitamins, and this vitamin has many benefits for the human body, because it is an important vitamin in the functioning of both the nervous system and the brain, and it also has an important and effective role in building and forming blood cells.
The recommended amount for each individual varies according to gender and age. Pregnant women need an amount ranging between four and thirteen micrograms, adult men and women need three micrograms, and children under six months of age need half a microgram, while children from six months to one year need Their body is about a microgram and a half, and those between the ages of one and three years need two micrograms of vitamin B12, and children from four to six years old need two and a half micrograms, while children over the age of six need three micrograms of vitamin B12, so everyone must adhere to these quantities without increase or decrease; Because both cases are reflected negatively on the body.
Sources of Vitamin B12
- Pure egg yolk contains a good amount of vitamin B12.
- Cheese, especially Parmesan, Swiss, feta, and mozzarella.
- Beef, specifically the ribs, loin, and lamb meat, as a slice of lamb provides 60% of the daily dose of vitamin B12.
- Seafood, such as oysters and caviar, contains up to ten times as much vitamin B12 as chicken eggs, crabs, fish in general, and octopus.
- the milk.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency
- Anemia, sometimes severe anemia.
- The feeling of fatigue and weakness increases, the skin color becomes pale, and the rate of tongue infections increases, in addition to the increase in the rate of bleeding gums.
- An increase in the rate of both breathing and heartbeat.
- The occurrence of disorders in the digestive system, especially in the stomach, and these disorders are usually accompanied by constipation or diarrhea, and rapid weight loss.
- The effects of bruises appear quickly, and sometimes these bruises are accompanied by bleeding.
- Numbness and tingling in both the toes and hands and difficulty walking.
- Damage to nerve cells, especially those in the brain, and this damage results in dementia, memory loss, and confusion.
It is important to know that vitamin B12 deficiency in children makes them vulnerable to permanent and severe damage to the digestive system, and solving the problem of vitamin B12 deficiency in general is by focusing on eating foods rich in this vitamin, or by taking its tablets or injections.
Symptoms of too much vitamin B12
Everyone who takes vitamin B12 excessively will expose himself to many health problems, including:
- Skin rash.
- diarrhea.
- Insomnia.