Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)...

 Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalaamin)

Do you get enough vitamin B12?

•  You'll want to make sure that you do, in order to stay healthy. 
• Vitamin B12 does a lot of things for your body. It helps make your DNA and your red blood cells, for example. 
• Since your body doesn't make vitamin B12, you have to get it from animal-based foods or from supplements. And you should do that on a regular basis. 
• While B12 is stored in the liver for up to 5 years, you can eventually become deficient if your diet doesn't help maintain the levels. 

How Much Should You Get?

•  The answer depends on things including your age, your eating habits and medical conditions, and what medications you take.

1)Daily Requirement :

• Adult : 1 mcg
• Infant : 0.2 mcg

2)Sources :

• Liver,Kidney,egg,meat,fish,milk and cheese
• You can get vitamin B12 in animal foods, which have it naturally, or from items that have been fortified with it. 
• Animal sources include dairy products, eggs, fish, meat, and poultry. If you're looking for a food fortified with B12, check the product's Nutrition Facts label.
• Most people in the U.S. get enough of this nutrient. If you're not sure, you can ask your doctor if you should get a blood test to check your vitamin B12 level. 
• With age, it can become harder to absorb this vitamin. It can also happen if you have had weight loss surgery or another operation that removed part of your stomach, or if you drink heavily.

3)Functions :

• Purine and pyrimidine metabolism and DNA synthesis
• Helps in maturation of RBCs
• Promotes normal growth and development

4)Effects of deficiency

• Nervous lesions
• Methyl malonic aciduria
• Megaloblastic anemia with degenerative changes in gastric mucosa
• Atrophic gastritis, in which your stomach lining has thinned 
• Pernicious anemia, which makes it hard for your body to absorb vitamin B12 
• Conditions that affect your small intestine, such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, bacterial growth, or a parasite 
• Misused alcohol or drank heavily, which can make it harder for your body to absorb nutrients or prevent you from eating enough calories. One sign that you lack enough B12 may be glossitis, or a swollen, inflamed tongue. 
• Immune system disorders, such as Graves' disease or lupus 
• Been taking certain medications that interfere with the absorption of B12. This includes some heartburn medicines including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec OTC), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (Aciphex), H2 blockers such as famotidine (Pepcid AC), and certain diabetes medicines such as metformin (Glucophage).