Vitamin B12’s Importance in your Workout, and your Daily Health

When you are learning about the vitamins your body needs to survive, you first learn that there are a number of vitamins on the list, each with its own benefit, and some with strong warnings on over-dosing. Each of these vitamin supplements is important in specific ways. Vitamin B12 is another part of the vitamin B complex, and without it in your diet, (or having it leached out of your body by extreme workouts) your metabolism would be affected. Vitamin B 12 is also important in helping to form red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body, and in maintaining the nervous systems, which sends messages to and from the brain to tell us that things are hot, painful, itchy, moving, and so forth.

Vitamins fall into two general categories. The first are called fat-soluble vitamins and include vitamins E and K, among others. These vitamins can be stored in the body and, in some cases, produced by the body, so deficiency is very rare. However, vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. While is can be stored, in some cases, it cannot be used properly. Therefore, eating is every day is very important to our bodies. If we do not, our bodies cannot function properly. If you believe that you are not getting enough vitamin B12, you should talk to a doctor or a nutritionist who can help you find the right vitamin supplements for our particular situation. This should not be a problem.

Of course, your diet is the best way to get vitamin B12 into your body. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet, you should not have to worry about not have to worry about have lower or higher than normal levels of vitamin B12. However, if you have special dietary needs or medical conditions, vitamin supplements may be needed. You can find fairly high levels of vitamin B12 in eggs, poultry, beef, pork, shellfish, and dairy products, especially milk.

Because vitamin B12 is one of the few vitamins that can be stored in the body, extreme deficiency is very rare.

However, if you body cannot use vitamin B12 properly or absorb it from foods in the intestinal tract, you may need vitamin supplements to help your body. Vegans are especially prone to this and should take vitamin supplements, since most of the vitamin B12 we get in our diets is found in meat. If you don’t get enough vitamin B12, you develop a condition known as pernicious anemia. Symptoms include numbness and tingling in your arms and legs, weakness, low of balance, and other neurological symptoms. If you are worried about developing pernicious anemia, you should consult with your doctor about vitamin supplements. Oftentimes, prescription doses are available that are more beneficial than expensive over-the-counter 'drug store" variety supplements.

Don't waste your money on unnecessary vitamin supplements that you might just "pee away" (my doctor calls them "very expensive bathroom trips") when a short conversation with your medical team will set you on the correct supplement routine to match your body and your workout regime. And will save you a lot of dollars each month on useless pills you might not need!