What is vitamin B12 simple definition?
A nutrient in the vitamin B complex that the body needs in small amounts to function and stay healthy. Vitamin B12 helps make red blood cells, DNA, RNA, energy, and tissues, and keeps nerve cells healthy. It is found in liver, meat, eggs, poultry, shellfish, milk, and milk products.
What is a B12 deficiency?
Having vitamin B12 deficiency means that your body does not have enough of this vitamin. You need B12 to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen through your body. Not having enough B12 can lead to anemia, which means your body does not have enough red blood cells to do the job. This can make you feel weak and tired.
What is normal range for vitamin B12 pmol L?
Normal Results Normal values are 160 to 950 picograms per milliliter (pg/mL), or 118 to 701 picomoles per liter (pmol/L). Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or may test different samples.
What is vitamin B12 classification?
Cyanocobalamin or vitamin B12 is an essential B-vitamin that is classified as a water-soluble vitamin. Food sources of vitamin B12 include fish, shellfish, meats, and dairy products.
What is vitamin B12 made of?
Vitamin B12 supplements are typically derived from two sources: cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin. Both are nearly identical and contain a cobalt ion surrounded by a corrin ring. However, each have a different molecule attached to the cobalt ion.
What is Vit B12 good for?
Vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) plays an essential role in red blood cell formation, cell metabolism, nerve function and the production of DNA, the molecules inside cells that carry genetic information. Food sources of vitamin B-12 include poultry, meat, fish and dairy products.
What is the function of B12?
Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep your body’s blood and nerve cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent megaloblastic anemia, a blood condition that makes people tired and weak.
What is considered a high B12 level pmol L?
An elevated B12 is generally defined as a level higher than the upper limit of the normal range, around 1000 ± 100 ng/L (738 ± 73.8 pmol/L)2,3,4.
What is an ideal B12 level?
The vitamin B12 standard reference range is 200–700 pg/ml whereas the proposed optimal range is 500–1300 pg/ml [10]. Higher vitamin B12 ranges have been associated with increased cognitive function, and reflexes, decreased brain atrophy, confusion, weakness and depression [10].
What is the purpose of B12?
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that helps the body create DNA, nourishes the brain and nervous system, and assists with the formation of healthy red blood cells. The nutrient occurs naturally in meat, fish, and dairy products, and can be created in a laboratory.
What is Hydroxocobalamin injection used for?
About hydroxocobalamin It is used to treat and prevent vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia (when you have low levels of this vitamin in the body). The most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UK is pernicious anaemia. Hydroxocobalamin is only available on prescription. It’s given as an injection.
How is vitamin B12 used in the human body?
Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that is involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body: it is a cofactor in DNA synthesis, and in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism.
What are the causes of vitamin B12 deficiency?
The main causes of vitamin B12 deficiency include vitamin B12 malabsorption from food, pernicious anemia, postsurgical malabsorption, and dietary deficiency [12]. However, in many cases, the cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is unknown.
Can you take vitamin B12 as a supplement?
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement and a prescription medication.
Is there a vitamin B12 supplement that is sublingual?
Dietary supplements that contain only vitamin B12, or vitamin B12 with nutrients such as folic acid and other B vitamins, are also available. Check the Supplement Facts label to determine the amount of vitamin B12 provided. Vitamin B12 is also available in sublingual forms (which are dissolved under the tongue).